43.7082° N, 82.9356° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Ubly, MI, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
September 19, 2010 · 19:00 local
Place
Ubly, MI
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N324V
Reported as
Eurocopter AS 350 B2
Reported engine
Turbomeca ARRIEL-1SER
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
15,000 total4,000 in this make and model250 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.
Helicopter was filming a scene for a movie. It was flying westbound into the setting sun. The camera ball on the nose of the helicopter struck an electric power wire. The wire was broken and the ball and camera were damaged. The pilot reported that he had flown over this route earlier, doing a recon for wires. There was no damage to the helicopter itself.
As the FAA filed it
HELICOPTER WAS FILMING A SCENE FOR A MOVIE. IT WAS FLYING WESTBOUND INTO THE SETTING SUN. THE CAMERA BALL ON THE NOSE OF THE HELICOPTER STRUCK AN ELECTRIC POWER WIRE. THE WIRE WAS BROKEN AND THE BALL AND CAMERA WERE DAMAGED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD FLOWN OVER THIS ROUTE EARLIER, DOING A RECON FOR WIRES. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE HELICOPTER ITSELF.