# Accident 20091107021769A: Piasec PV18, Adelanto, CA, November 7, 2009

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 7, 2009, 08:30 local time
- Place: Adelanto, CA
- Airport: Adelanto
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.5219° N, 117.4625° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.5219&lon=-117.4625&mi=10
- Aircraft: N183YP, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N183YP-2018-01-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piasecki/Pike Joseph W PV-18 (registry code 6980403, https://openairdocs.org/model/piasecki-pike-joseph-w-pv-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental R-975 series (registry code 17037, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-r-975-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIASEC PV18
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR10LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10LA048) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20091107021769A

## Narrative

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

THE AIRCRAFT WAS AN EXPERIMENTAL EXIBITION BEING FLOW FROM ADELANTO, CA. TO FLABOB, CA. WHEN IT EXPERIENCED AN UNKNOWN PROBLEM IN FLIGHT, AND IT CONTACTED THE STATIC LINE OF A TRANSMISSION TOWER, APPROXIMATELY 187 FEET AGL.  THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED RAPIDLY AND IMPACTING THE GROUND, THE TANDEM ROTOR HELICOPTERS BLADES CONTACTED EACH OTHER AND DISINTEGRATED, THE DEBRIS FIELD WAS APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET IN DIAMTER.  THE POST ACCIDENT FIRE CONSUMED THE HELICOPTER FROM THE ENGINE FIREWALL FORWARD.  THE ALUMINUM AND MAGNESIUM COMPONENTS BURNED OR MELTED.  THE POST CRASH FIRE ELIMINATED THE ABILITY TO EXAMINE THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND ROTOR SYSTEM.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATION UNDER AN EXPERIMENTAL CERTIFICATE WITH OPERATING LIMITATIONS AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF A PROGRAM LETTER WHICH WAS ON FILE AT THE FSDO.

## 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 WPR10LA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10LA048), Nov 7, 2009: Piasecki/Pike PV-18 (N183YP), Adelanto, CA, substantial damage, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from powerlines during en route flight.

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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