What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On July 27, 2019 at 1721 local time, the pilot was flying under part 137 commercial aerial spraying operations for couch helicopter service inc. aircraft collided with power lines and went down. Helicopter N454MS was reported by the pilot to have just come out of a turn around, leveling off and commencing an application run at approximately 70 (kts/mph?). The general direction of this application run was southbound with +/- 10 degrees. Based on the GPS placement of the two utility poles, the estimated position of the wire strike was approximately 36.448247N/88.722367W. After striking the wire, the aircraft continued on a path approximately south bound or about 200 degrees based upon the swath of collapsed corn stalks. It appears the aircraft struck the ground mostly flat and upright at approximately 36.447854N/88.722378W based on the crop damage and other indications. The approximate distance from the wire strike to the first point of ground impact was 145 feet using estimates and GPS impact position. On ground impact, it is believed that the tail boom was broken and the aircraft bounced slightly then impacted slightly nose first. This is based upon an impact mark along with the lower wire nose wire cutter broken off into the ground approximately 7-8 feet from the first impact mark, still along an approximate track of about 200 degrees. From the second impact point it is believed that the main rotor separated from the aircraft and continued above the crop height in a south/southeasterly direction. From this second impact it appears the aircraft?s main fuselage began a counter clockwise rotation during which the tail boom broke off and came to rest beside the main fuselage. The main fuselage also came to rest on its right side pointing about 350 degrees rotation from the direction of the impact swath of crops. The main body of the fuselage came to rest on its right side facing an approximate heading of 030 degrees. Distance from the first ground impact to final resting point was measured between GPS points to be approximately 19-20 feet.
The main rotor was located approximately 271 feet from the main fuselage wreckage on a path of about south/southwest. The rotor blade was resting upright and crop impact damage indicate the blades were still rotating at low energy when it impacted the ground. There were several cuts and punctures at random points on the blades that may indicate impact with severed pieces of the wire.
As the FAA filed it
ON JULY 27, 2019 AT 1721 LOCAL TIME, THE PILOT WAS FLYING UNDER PART 137 COMMERCIAL AERIAL SPRAYING OPERATIONS FOR COUCH HELICOPTER SERVICE INC. AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES AND WENT DOWN. HELICOPTER N454MS WAS REPORTED BY THE PILOT TO HAVE JUST COME OUT OF A TURN AROUND, LEVELING OFF AND COMMENCING AN APPLICATION RUN AT APPROXIMATELY 70 (KTS/MPH?). THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF THIS APPLICATION RUN WAS SOUTHBOUND WITH +/- 10 DEGREES. BASED ON THE GPS PLACEMENT OF THE TWO UTILITY POLES, THE ESTIMATED POSITION OF THE WIRE STRIKE WAS APPROXIMATELY 36.448247N/88.722367W. AFTER STRIKING THE WIRE, THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED ON A PATH APPROXIMATELY SOUTH BOUND OR ABOUT 200 DEGREES BASED UPON THE SWATH OF COLLAPSED CORN STALKS. IT APPEARS THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND MOSTLY FLAT AND UPRIGHT AT APPROXIMATELY 36.447854N/88.722378W BASED ON THE CROP DAMAGE AND OTHER INDICATIONS. THE APPROXIMATE DISTANCE FROM THE WIRE STRIKE TO THE FIRST POINT OF GROUND IMPACT WAS 145 FEET USING ESTIMATES AND GPS IMPACT POSITION. ON GROUND IMPACT, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE TAIL BOOM WAS BROKEN AND THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED SLIGHTLY THEN IMPACTED SLIGHTLY NOSE FIRST. THIS IS BASED UPON AN IMPACT MARK ALONG WITH THE LOWER WIRE NOSE WIRE CUTTER BROKEN OFF INTO THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 7-8 FEET FROM THE FIRST IMPACT MARK, STILL ALONG AN APPROXIMATE TRACK OF ABOUT 200 DEGREES. FROM THE SECOND IMPACT POINT IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE MAIN ROTOR SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND CONTINUED ABOVE THE CROP HEIGHT IN A SOUTH/SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION. FROM THIS SECOND IMPACT IT APPEARS THE AIRCRAFT?S MAIN FUSELAGE BEGAN A COUNTER CLOCKWISE ROTATION DURING WHICH THE TAIL BOOM BROKE OFF AND CAME TO REST BESIDE THE MAIN FUSELAGE. THE MAIN FUSELAGE ALSO CAME TO REST ON ITS RIGHT SIDE POINTING ABOUT 350 DEGREES ROTATION FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE IMPACT SWATH OF CROPS. THE MAIN BODY OF THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST ON ITS RIGHT SIDE FACING AN APPROXIMATE HEADING OF 030 DEGREES. DISTANCE FROM THE FIRST GROUND IMPACT TO FINAL RESTING POINT WAS MEASURED BETWEEN GPS POINTS TO BE APPROXIMATELY 19-20 FEET.
THE MAIN ROTOR WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 271 FEET FROM THE MAIN FUSELAGE WRECKAGE ON A PATH OF ABOUT SOUTH/SOUTHWEST. THE ROTOR BLADE WAS RESTING UPRIGHT AND CROP IMPACT DAMAGE INDICATE THE BLADES WERE STILL ROTATING AT LOW ENERGY WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND. THERE WERE SEVERAL CUTS AND PUNCTURES AT RANDOM POINTS ON THE BLADES THAT MAY INDICATE IMPACT WITH SEVERED PIECES OF THE WIRE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N454MS · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.