What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The helicopter had completed it’s second aerial application and was returning to the service truck to refill dispensing agent. At some point between the previous landing/refilling cycle and the current approach, the servicing truck had repositioned on the road. This resulted in placing it much closer to an intersecting road which had an electrical power line extending from the main lines to a residential house. The pilot executed a return landing approach consistent with previous operations, unaware of the truck’s repositioning. This action resulted in main rotor blade contact with the power lines. The pilot was able to immediately land the aircraft on the adjacent road and shut down. Damage to the aircraft occurred to both main rotor blades, the horizontal driveshaft fairing/cover, and a large hole in the right-hand side cockpit windshield. The aircraft was then relocated via trailer to its fixed base of operations approximetely 30 miles away and secured in a hangar.
As the FAA filed it
THE HELICOPTER HAD COMPLETED IT’S SECOND AERIAL APPLICATION AND WAS RETURNING TO THE SERVICE TRUCK TO REFILL DISPENSING AGENT. AT SOME POINT BETWEEN THE PREVIOUS LANDING/REFILLING CYCLE AND THE CURRENT APPROACH, THE SERVICING TRUCK HAD REPOSITIONED ON THE ROAD. THIS RESULTED IN PLACING IT MUCH CLOSER TO AN INTERSECTING ROAD WHICH HAD AN ELECTRICAL POWER LINE EXTENDING FROM THE MAIN LINES TO A RESIDENTIAL HOUSE. THE PILOT EXECUTED A RETURN LANDING APPROACH CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS OPERATIONS, UNAWARE OF THE TRUCK’S REPOSITIONING. THIS ACTION RESULTED IN MAIN ROTOR BLADE CONTACT WITH THE POWER LINES. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY LAND THE AIRCRAFT ON THE ADJACENT ROAD AND SHUT DOWN. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT OCCURRED TO BOTH MAIN ROTOR BLADES, THE HORIZONTAL DRIVESHAFT FAIRING/COVER, AND A LARGE HOLE IN THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE COCKPIT WINDSHIELD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN RELOCATED VIA TRAILER TO ITS FIXED BASE OF OPERATIONS APPROXIMETELY 30 MILES AWAY AND SECURED IN A HANGAR.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.