- Date
- February 27, 1986, 08:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Castaic, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7802SBell 47G-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860227025879A
- Case key
- 25168
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
In flight collision with object
Object - wire,transmissionFactor
Preflight planning/preparation - inadequateFactor
Light condition - sunglareFactor
Clearance - not maintainedCause
Visual/aural detectionCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
The helicopter collided with unmarked wires while heading into sun during spraying operation. Plt does not recall seeing or hitting wires.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7802S
- Reported as
- Bell 47G-5
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7856
- Airframe hours
- 5,822
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-435-B1A, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Aerohead Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 10, 1985 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- Castaic, CA
N7802SRegistration cancelled May 9, 2013 · Bell 47G-5Airframe modelBell 47G-5Engine modelLycoming VO-435 series
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,850 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 7,850 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VNY, 36 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.