# Accident 20100105025699A: Bell 206B, North Fork, CA, January 5, 2010

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 5, 2010, 12:30 local time
- Place: North Fork, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: EEGA
- Location: 37.1464° N, 119.4611° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.1464&lon=-119.4611&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5016U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5016U-2010-03-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 16,810 total, 3,315 in this make and model, 90 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR10GA097](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10GA097) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100105025699A

## Narrative

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

ON JANUARY 5, 2010 AT APPROXIMATELY 12:10 PST, A BELL B-206 STRUCK A POWER LINE WHILE CONDUCTING DEER COUNT FOR THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME. THE PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE HELICOPTER WAS OPERATING UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULE CONDITIONS. TWO WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE HELICOPTER STRIKE THE WIRE AND ROTOR AND TRANSMISSION DEPART THE AIRCRAFT.  THE HELICOPTER ROLLED INVERTED AND BURST INTO FLAMES. THE LINES WERE PROPERLY MARKED ON THE VFR SECTIONAL CHART.

## 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 WPR10GA097](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10GA097), Jan 5, 2010: Bell 206B (N5016U), Auberry, CA, substantial damage, 4 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to see and avoid a wire while maneuvering during low-altitude operations.

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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