20260709007709I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Yamaha Motor FAZER R · St Helena, CA · July 9, 2026

Date: July 9, 2026 · 08:24 local
Place: St Helena, CA
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator: 8YAG
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N989HY
Reported as: Yamaha Motor Fazer R
People aboard: 0
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor

N989HYRegistered now · Yamaha Motor FAZER RS/N 159A34E4E8D646 Airframe modelYamaha Motor FAZER R

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.

The aircraft was being flown manually to the starting point of the autopilot program. To reach this location, the pilot was required to cross two sets of power lines. While crossing the second set of power lines, the main rotor blades contacted the highest of the four wires. Following the contact, the aircraft descended to the ground within the operational area.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING FLOWN MANUALLY TO THE STARTING POINT OF THE AUTOPILOT PROGRAM. TO REACH THIS LOCATION, THE PILOT WAS REQUIRED TO CROSS TWO SETS OF POWER LINES. WHILE CROSSING THE SECOND SET OF POWER LINES, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED THE HIGHEST OF THE FOUR WIRES. FOLLOWING THE CONTACT, THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED TO THE GROUND WITHIN THE OPERATIONAL AREA.