20230803010499I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 206B · Cottage Grove, WI · August 3, 2023

Date
August 3, 2023 · 15:30 local
Place
Cottage Grove, WI
Phase of flight
Maneuver
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
4MFG
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N67882
Reported as
Bell 206B
Reported engine
Allison 250-C20
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,598 total530 in this make and model56 in the last 90 days

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.

While applying agricultural spray to a field the pilot of privacy data omitted struck a power line with the spray boom of the helicopter. The pilot maintained control of the aircraft and laded without further incident. At the initial inspection the pilot stated that only the spray boom received damage. Upon further review of the aircraft from a FAA airworthiness inspector it was found that the vertical fin of the helicopter, the engine cover access door, and one of the main blades may have been hit by the struck electrical wire and caused minor damage. No other damage was found at the time of inspection.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE APPLYING AGRICULTURAL SPRAY TO A FIELD THE PILOT OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STRUCK A POWER LINE WITH THE SPRAY BOOM OF THE HELICOPTER. THE PILOT MAINTAINED CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND LADED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AT THE INITIAL INSPECTION THE PILOT STATED THAT ONLY THE SPRAY BOOM RECEIVED DAMAGE. UPON FURTHER REVIEW OF THE AIRCRAFT FROM A FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR IT WAS FOUND THAT THE VERTICAL FIN OF THE HELICOPTER, THE ENGINE COVER ACCESS DOOR, AND ONE OF THE MAIN BLADES MAY HAVE BEEN HIT BY THE STRUCK ELECTRICAL WIRE AND CAUSED MINOR DAMAGE. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS FOUND AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION.