- Date
- January 1, 1993, 16:00 local (Jan 2, 1993, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Folsom, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7462FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930101000089A
- Case key
- 27901
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 failing to maintain an adequate visual lookout resulting in the helicopter colliding with electrical transmission wires.
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 and a passenger departed a private heliport located at the pilot's house for an airborne cattle herding operation. The pilot dropped his passenger off and attempted to divert cattle with his helicopter. The pilot said that he had flown in this area for about 24 years and was familiar with the electrical transmission wires in the area. On the day of the accident, the pilot and a witness said the sky was overcast and the wires blended in with the gray sky. He said he ascended to an altitude above the wires to determine how to descend and maneuver to 'cut off' a stray cow. During the descent, the pilot said he became 'extremely surprised to see wires about 40 feet dead ahead.' The helicopter collided with two of the transmission wires about 80 feet above the ground and then entered an uncontrolled descent until colliding with the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7462F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 560511
- Airframe hours
- 2,201
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Stanley L. Van Vleck
- Registered owner
- Stanley L. Van Vleck
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 23, 1992 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Rancho Murieta, CA
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
- 72
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 15,475 total · 4,754 in this make and model · 14,475 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.