- Date
- July 19, 1989, 20:12 local (Jul 20, 1989, 01:12 UTC)
- Place
- Jay, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N65212Bell TH-13T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890719023759A
- Case key
- 32465
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
Inadequate planning/decision by the pilot and his failure to maintain clearance from the power line. Contributing factors were: light conditions at dusk, transmission (power) lines, and the pilot's lack of visual cues (visual perception) at dusk.
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
During an aerial application flight at dusk, the helicopter collided with a power line as the pilot was making a swath run. After hitting the power line, the helicopter rolled left, entered a descent & crashed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65212
- Reported as
- Bell TH-13T
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3613
- Engine
- Lycoming O-425-A1F, 265 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Stewart, Michael
- Registered owner
- Michael C Stewart
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,200 total · 1,200 in this make and model · 1,159 as pilot in command · 350 in the last 90 days · 150 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PNS, 30 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.