20200618005999A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Robinson Helicopter R66 · Pikeville, NC · June 18, 2020

Date: June 18, 2020 · 17:23 local
Place: Pikeville, NC
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: UKRG
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N4QW
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA20LA220
Reported as: Robinson Helicopter R66
Reported engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C300/A1
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 19,340 total

N4QWRegistration cancelled Mar 31, 2023 · Robinson Helicopter R66S/N 0402 · Built 2013 Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R66 Engine modelRolls-Royce 250-C300/A1Turbo-shaft

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 was spraying insecticide and crashed into a field near 320 daw pate road, pilot struck a 5/16 inch steel braided cable. Cable was approximately 100 yards in length, that was located in the FAR north east corner of the corn field being sprayed. Cable was attached between an approximately 30FT telephone type pole located 100 yards south of the FAR north perimeter field access road and attached to an approximately 40 ft pine tree to the north of the field. This cable is used by the farmer to attract dove during hunting season

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS SPRAYING INSECTICIDE AND CRASHED INTO A FIELD NEAR 320 DAW PATE ROAD, PILOT STRUCK A 5/16 INCH STEEL BRAIDED CABLE. CABLE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100 YARDS IN LENGTH, THAT WAS LOCATED IN THE FAR NORTH EAST CORNER OF THE CORN FIELD BEING SPRAYED. CABLE WAS ATTACHED BETWEEN AN APPROXIMATELY 30FT TELEPHONE TYPE POLE LOCATED 100 YARDS SOUTH OF THE FAR NORTH PERIMETER FIELD ACCESS ROAD AND ATTACHED TO AN APPROXIMATELY 40 FT PINE TREE TO THE NORTH OF THE FIELD. THIS CABLE IS USED BY THE FARMER TO ATTRACT DOVE DURING HUNTING SEASON

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 ERA20LA220Accident · 1 fatalClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportPikeville, NCThe pilot’s failure to see and avoid a small diameter wire during low altitude agricultural spraying operations. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s insufficient property survey.Jun 18, 2020 · Substantial damage