- Date
- June 9, 1991, 07:34 local (14:34 UTC)
- Place
- Cottonwood, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N103ABSchweizer 269B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 27243
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. The transmission wire was a factor in the accident.
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 was herding cattle on a ranch with a helicopter. He was observed to land, get out of helicopter and examine the right side of the aircraft. After the examination he reentered the helicopter and tookoff. The helicopter collided with an electrical service wire during the climb.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N103AB
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 125-0223
- Airframe hours
- 2,635
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-AIA, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Mcauliffe, Joe Company
- Registered owner
- Mcauliffe, Joe Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 5, 1990 · 16 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,750 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- RDD, 7 nm away