# Accident 20220401001759A: Bell OH-58A, Merced, CA, April 1, 2022

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 1, 2022, 13:00 local time
- Place: Merced, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: WITG
- Location: 37.1894° N, 120.6893° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.1894&lon=-120.6893&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9287U, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9287U-2023-10-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell OH-58A (registry code 1181579, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-oh-58a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison T63 series (registry code 03031, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-t63-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL OH-58A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,336 total, 1,243 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR22LA140](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR22LA140) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220401001759A

## Narrative

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

HELICOPTER STRUCK POWER LINE DURING AN AG DISPERSAL FLIGHT. ONE WIRE WAS CUT, BUT SECOND WIRE MISS THE WIRE CUTTER CAUSING THE HELICOPTER TO CRASH AND WAS DESTROYED.

## 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 WPR22LA140](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR22LA140), Apr 1, 2022: Bell OH-58A (N9287U), Merced, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to see and avoid wires while conducting an aerial application flight, which resulted in a wire strike and ground impact.

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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