# Accident 20230729016109A: Bell 206-L4, Springfield, OH, July 29, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 29, 2023, 12:12 local time
- Place: Springfield, OH
- Airport: Springfield-Beckley Municipal
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 39.8878° N, 83.7464° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8878&lon=-83.7464&mi=10
- Aircraft: N652HA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N652HA) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206-L4 (registry code 1182110, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206-l4) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C30P (registry code 03099, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c30p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206-L4
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250-C30P
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA23FA317](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA317) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230729016109A

## Narrative

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

ON JULY 29, 2023, HELICOPTER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS PERFORMING A 137-AGRICULTURE SPRAYING OPERATION ON A FIELD SOUTH OF I70 BETWEEN E. POSSUM RD AND RIDGE RD. AFTER SEVERAL EAST-WEST PASSES THE HELICOPTER CAME IN CONTACT WITH HIGH TENSION POWER LINES THAT WERE OVERTOP THE FIELD BEING SPRAYED. THE HELICOPTER SEVERED/BROKE THE TWO MIDDLE LINES AND CRASHED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON ITS RIGHT SIDE APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET FORM THE IMPACT WITH THE POWERLINE. THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ROTOR BLADES THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ROTATIONAL SCARRING. THE TAIL BOOM HAD SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO THE TAIL ROTOR AND COULD BE TURNED BY HAND WITH NO BINDING. THE TAIL ROTOR SHAFT WAS BROKEN AT THE TAIL SEPARATION, BUT NO ROTATIONAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. ACCIDENT RESULTED IN PILOT FATALITY.

## 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 ERA23FA317](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA317), Jul 29, 2023: Bell 206-L4 (N652HA), Springfield, OH, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to remain clear of powerlines during an agricultural spraying operation.

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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