19970302007209I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Hughes 369E · Tallahassee, FL · March 2, 1997

Date: March 2, 1997 · 17:30 local
Place: Tallahassee, FL
Airport: Tallahassee Regionall Airport
Phase of flight: Hovering
Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
Operator: HXFL
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7065C
Reported as: Hughes 369E
Reported engine: Allison 250C20B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 8,060 total4,034 in this make and model248 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: william r. curry was the PIC of N7065C at approximately 1730 on March 2, 1997 during FAR 133 class a external load operations. While attempting to remove a safety line from power lines 11/2 miles south of the Tallahassee VOR, and when repositioning the aircraft from a hover on one side of a shield line to the other side of the wire, the tail rotor contacted the shield wire. The wire was severed and minor damage to the tail rotor was sustained, as well as horizontal stabilizer cracks and wrinkling.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: WILLIAM R. CURRY WAS THE PIC OF N7065C AT APPROXIMATELY 1730 ON MARCH 2, 1997 DURING FAR 133 CLASS A EXTERNAL LOAD OPERATIONS. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE A SAFETY LINE FROM POWER LINES 11/2 MILES SOUTH OF THE TALLAHASSEE VOR, AND WHEN REPOSITIONING THE AIRCRAFT FROM A HOVER ON ONE SIDE OF A SHIELD LINE TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIRE, THE TAIL ROTOR CONTACTED THE SHIELD WIRE. THE WIRE WAS SEVERED AND MINOR DAMAGE TO THE TAIL ROTOR WAS SUSTAINED, AS WELL AS HORIZONTAL STABILIZER CRACKS AND WRINKLING.