20180718011549I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 · Tripoli, IA · July 18, 2018

Date: July 18, 2018 · 21:35 local
Place: Tripoli, IA
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: 1TRG
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N514CH
Reported as: Robinson Helicopter R44
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,050 total600 in this make and model185 in the last 90 days

N514CHRegistered now · Robinson Helicopter R44S/N 0286 · Built 1996 Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R44 Engine modelLycoming 0-540 seriesReciprocating

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.

Pilot stated that he was performing aerial application "doing clean-up work". He stated that he thought the wires were behind him and he saw them at the last minute. The cowled main rotor mast contacted power lines damaging the cowling and at least 2 of the 3 main rotor pitch change links. The pilot stated that the helicopter was controlable and that he executed a controled landing in an area between two corn fields and shut down.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS PERFORMING AERIAL APPLICATION "DOING CLEAN-UP WORK". HE STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THE WIRES WERE BEHIND HIM AND HE SAW THEM AT THE LAST MINUTE. THE COWLED MAIN ROTOR MAST CONTACTED POWER LINES DAMAGING THE COWLING AND AT LEAST 2 OF THE 3 MAIN ROTOR PITCH CHANGE LINKS. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS CONTROLABLE AND THAT HE EXECUTED A CONTROLED LANDING IN AN AREA BETWEEN TWO CORN FIELDS AND SHUT DOWN.