Sikorsky S-55QT N2302F

Summary

On 3 June 2024 at about 01:27 local time, a Sikorsky S-55QT registered N2302F, operated by N2302F LLC, was involved in an accident near Benton City, Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 June 2024 at 01:27

Classification

Accident

Location

Benton City, Washington, United States

Coordinates

46.3020, -119.5198

Aircraft

Sikorsky S-55QT

Registration

N2302F

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1952

Engines

1

Operator

N2302F LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Benton City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA173

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during a low altitude operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to hover over cherry trees in attempt to dry off the orchard following a rain shower. While maneuvering about 30 ft above ground level (agl) at an airspeed of about 20 mph, parallel to power lines on his right side, he performed a turn, and the tail rotor blades contacted and severed the adjacent power lines. The pilot felt a tail-rotor imbalance and opted to land immediately. During the accident sequence, the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor. The pilot reported that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.