Hughes 369D N8688F

Summary

On 5 August 2013 at about 14:15 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N8688F, operated by Haverfield Aviation, Inc., was involved in an accident near Ackerly, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 died. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 August 2013 at 14:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Ackerly, Texas, United States

Coordinates

32.4811, -101.7169

Aircraft

Hughes 369D

Registration

N8688F

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Haverfield Aviation, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load

Purpose of flight

External Load

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ackerly → Ackerly

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13LA461

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to identify and maintain adequate clearance from a shield wire that was suspended between power transmission line towers.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was being used to hoist linemen onto power transmission towers. The helicopter was equipped with a 100-foot external cargo long-line. Shortly after departure, as the helicopter was climbing toward the transmission tower, the long-line collided with a shield wire suspended between transmission towers. The operator reported that the long-line severed about 5 feet above the linemen. The two linemen, who were being hoisted on the long-line, were fatally injured after falling about 200 feet to the ground after the collision. The pilot returned to the landing zone and made an uneventful landing. The operator did not report any malfunction or failures with the helicopter that would have prevented normal operation. The pilot stated that the shield wire installed on the tower had not been identified or discussed during the preflight briefing. He reported that the clear sky condition and the morning light made the shield wire impossible to see from the ground. Additionally, he stated that it was uncommon for shield wire to be installed on the upper tower structures before the lower line work had been completed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.