# Accident 20210313000219A: Bell 206B, Layton, CA, March 13, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 13, 2021, 13:45 local time
- Place: Layton, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: TOCG
- Location: 36.4329° N, 119.6882° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.4329&lon=-119.6882&mi=10
- Aircraft: N161BH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N161BH-2022-10-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206B (registry code 1181511, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C20 (registry code 03080, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250-C20
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 10,000 total, 1,500 in this make and model, 250 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR21LA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA130) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210313000219A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DURING NORMAL ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CONDUCTED AT OR BELOW 30 FT. AGL, WHICH WAS NECESSARY TO MITIGATE PRODUCT DRIFT, WHILE ON THE LAST EDGE CLEANUP PASS ALONG A ROAD THAT HAD POWERLINES RUNNING PARALLEL TO IT, THE HELICOPTER STRUCK A KNOWN PERPENDICULAR POWERLINE THAT RAN OUT TO A PUMPING STATION IN THE FIELD. THE PIC WAS FULLY AWARE OF AND HAD ROUTINELY FLOWN UNDER THIS PERPENDICULAR WIRESET MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE COMPLETING THE REST OF THE FIELD IN THE MINUTES JUST BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE UPPER WIRE STRIKE PROTECTION SYSTEM (WSPS) CUTTER SHOWED ARCHING MARKS, AND APPEARS TO HAVE CUT AT LEAST ONE ENERGIZED WIRE. THE IMPACT WITH THE PERPENDICULAR WIRES PULLED THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE SET OF WIRES THAT PARALLELED THE ROAD, AND THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD AND BLADES SEPARATED FROM THE MAST, AND THE TAILBOOM SEPARATED AT THE MID POINT. THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST ON ITS LEFT SIDE, CRUSHING THE LEFT SIDE OF THE COCKPIT AND CABIN. THE PILOT, WHO WAS SEATED IN THE RIGHT PILOT SEAT AND WEARING PROPER PPE, INCLUDING A HELMET, RECEIVED ONLY MINOR INJURIES. THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED AND THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE. THE POWERLINES WERE BROKEN AND WRECKAGE SCATTERED INTO THE SUBJECT FIELD AND ADJACENT ROADWAY, DAMAGING THE ELECTRIC GRID COMPONENTS, THE CROP AND THE ROAD SURFACE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR21LA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA130), Mar 13, 2021: Bell 206B (N161BH), Laton, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from powerlines during low-altitude maneuvering.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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