# Accident 20031014026219A: Bell 206B, Swisshome, OR, October 14, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 14, 2003, 10:45 local time
- Place: Swisshome, OR
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: GJQA
- Location: 44.0625° N, 123.8000° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.0625&lon=-123.8000&mi=10
- Aircraft: N86W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N86W-2005-04-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250 SER 250HP (registry code 03002, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-ser-250hp) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 17,500 total, 3,700 in this make and model, 27 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA04LA005](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA04LA005) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031014026219A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) AT APPROXIMATELY 1045 LOCAL TIME N86W, A BELL 206-B HELICOPTER STRUCK OVERHEAD POWER LINES WHICH CROSS THE SIUSLAW RIVER AND HIGHWAY 36 WHILE CONDUCTING AERIAL SURVEY FOR OREGON DEPT. OF FORESTRY. RESULTING CRASH INTO RIVER BED WAS FATAL FOR BOTH PILOT AND PASSENGER/OBSERVER. HEIGHT OF WIRES WAS APPROXIMATELY 250-300 FEET ABOVE RIVER. OF THE FOUR (4) WIRES CROSSING THE RIVER, THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE LOWER-MOST WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY WRAPPED ITSELF AROUND THE HELICOPTER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB SEA04LA005](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA04LA005), Oct 14, 2003: Bell 206B (N86W), Swisshome, OR, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines while maneuvering. The power line, mountainous terrain with high obstructions (thick trees and underbrush) and the operators failure to…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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