# NTSB LAX06CA002: Bell 206B, N201SC, Pixley, CA, October 2, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: October 2, 2005, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC) - Place: Pixley, CA - Coordinates: 35.507221, -119.191947 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.5072&lon=-119.1919&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report February 28, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 62592 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX06CA002 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/62592/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX06CA002 ## Probable cause the pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the wire during a low altitude aerial application flight. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, maneuvering - aerial application - clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - object - wire,static ## Analysis The helicopter impacted a support wire between two poles while it was conducting aerial applications. The pilot completed spraying the field and was getting ready to spray the borders. He checked the power lines near the field and elected to fly beneath them to prevent drift over the adjacent field. As the pilot neared the wires for the spray run, he noticed a guy-wire running from pole-to-pole below the power lines. He lowered to collective, but the helicopter snagged the wire with the top portion of the vertical stabilizer. The helicopter then impacted terrain and rolled into a canal. ## Factual narrative On October 2, 2005, at 0900 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206B, N201SC, impacted a wire and terrain during an aerial application flight near Pixley, California. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries, and the helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to, and operated by, Slykerman Ag Aviation, Inc., Bakersfield, California, under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed for the local flight that originated from the spray field about 40 minutes prior to the accident. According to the pilot's written statement, he finished spraying the field and was respraying the boarders on the west side of the field. He checked the wires on the southwest corner of the field for clearance, and elected to fly under the power lines to avoid drift onto the grapes to the south of the sprayed field. He flew to the south, checked the wires again, and came back around to start the spray run. Just as the helicopter neared the wires, the pilot noticed a guy-wire running from pole-to-pole under the power lines. The pilot lowered the collective in an attempt to miss the wire, but struck it with the topside of the vertical stabilizer. The helicopter then impacted the edge of a canal bank and rolled into the canal. The pilot was wearing a helmet. He reported no anomalies with the helicopter or engine. ## Aircraft - Registration: N201SC (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Bell 206B - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 3427 - Airframe hours: 8256.9 - Engines: Allison 250-C20B 420 horsepower turbo shaft - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Slykerman Ag Aviation, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, May 1, 2005 - Departed: Pixley, CA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 61; injuries: serious; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine sea, single-engine land; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review May 1, 2005; seat: right; flight hours: 21,500 total, 750 in this make and model, 326 in the last 90 days, 71 in the last 30 days, 9 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20051002024039A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20051002024039A), Oct 2, 2005: Bell 206B, Pixley, CA, Destroyed. (-23) N201SC, a Bell 206B helicopter crashed after striking a power pole support wire during aerial application, one mile south of Pixley, calif. Aircraft came… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.