- Date
- August 16, 2022, 14:50 local (19:50 UTC)
- Place
- Millville, MN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N641RZRobinson Helicopter R66
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20220816007829A
- Case key
- 105758
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadequate inflight planning resulted in impact with a power line.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported spraying several different fields throughout the day. During the accident spray pass, the pilot sighted a power line and attempted to avoid it by lowering the collective. The helicopter struck the power line and subsequently impacted terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation and that he should made a more complete reconnaissance of the field.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N641RZ
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R66
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0028
- Built
- 2011
- Airframe hours
- 1,706
- Engine
- Rolls Royce RR300/250-C300/A1, 300 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Iron Horse Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Iron Horse Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 28, 2022 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- PRIV · Stuartville, MN
- Destination
- PRIV · Stuartville, MN
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Satellite tracking device
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 14, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,020 total · 220 in this make and model · 940 as pilot in command · 229 in the last 90 days · 180 in the last 30 days · 12 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- KRST, 22 nm away
- METAR
- KRST 161954Z 08006KT 10SM FEW045 25/14 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP213 T02500144
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 22, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.