- Date
- October 28, 1999, 09:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Castroville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5374VHiller UH-12E
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 17, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19991028033669A
- Case key
- 47674
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 visual lookout and diverted attention.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot had been spraying a field and altered his course to move away from telephone repair personnel who were working on a pole located near the field he intended to spray. While flying between 25 and 30 feet above the ground, the pilot diverted his attention toward the global positioning satellite receiver in which he intended to mark his new spray position. While proceeding over the field he looked up and observed a power line directly in front of his helicopter. With insufficient time to turn, the helicopter collided with the power line. Thereafter, the pilot lost control and the helicopter impacted the underlying field.
Factual narrative
On October 28, 1999, about 0915 hours Pacific daylight time, a Hiller UH-12E, N5374V, operated by R and B Helicopter, Inc., collided with a power line in Castroville, California. Thereafter, the helicopter impacted the ground and was substantially damaged. The commercial pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the aerial application flight, which was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137. The flight originated about 0905 from an adjacent field.
The pilot reported to the Safety Board investigator that he had been spraying in the general area, and had just altered his course to move away from telephone repair personnel who were working on a pole located near the field he intended to spray. Also, while flying between 25 and 30 feet above the ground, he had diverted his attention toward the global positioning satellite receiver in which he was to mark his new spray position. While proceeding over the field he looked up and observed a power line directly in front of his helicopter. There was insufficient time to turn. The pilot stated that he collided with the power line and lost control of the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5374V
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2073
- Airframe hours
- 14,374
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20, 400 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- R And B Helicopter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 28, 1999 · 61 hours before
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 18,000 total · 8,000 in this make and model · 18,000 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SNS, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5374V · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.