20110821017499A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Bell 47G-4 · Los Banos, CA · August 21, 2011

Date: August 21, 2011 · 06:51 local
Place: Los Banos, CA
Phase of flight: Other, Specify
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: U4LG
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N948DS
NTSB investigation: NTSBWPR11CA398
Reported as: Bell 47G-4
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,610 total125 in this make and model310 in the last 90 days

N948DSRegistration cancelled Jan 10, 2018 · Bell 47G-4S/N 3140 Airframe modelBell 47G-4

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.

Halfway through a cleanup swath run of the first flight of the day the pilot hit a power pole with the rotor blades. The pilot had previously sprayed the field about a week ago and knew where the power poles were. He had shut off spray momentarilly for bee boxes and struck the pole right after turning on the spray again.

As the FAA filed it

HALFWAY THROUGH A CLEANUP SWATH RUN OF THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY THE PILOT HIT A POWER POLE WITH THE ROTOR BLADES. THE PILOT HAD PREVIOUSLY SPRAYED THE FIELD ABOUT A WEEK AGO AND KNEW WHERE THE POWER POLES WERE. HE HAD SHUT OFF SPRAY MOMENTARILLY FOR BEE BOXES AND STRUCK THE POLE RIGHT AFTER TURNING ON THE SPRAY AGAIN.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR11CA398Accident · Minor injuriesData collectionFinal reportLos Banos, CAThe pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power poles while maneuvering during low-altitude operations.Aug 21, 2011 · Substantial damage