- Date
- December 6, 1998, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Carnation, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2304WRobinson R-22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981206041039A
- Case key
- 45452
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with a wire. Related factors were the pilot's performance of a low pass, a transmission wire, and difficulty encountered by the pilot in detecting the wire visually.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while doing a low pass over a relative's farm, he struck a wire that was approximately 50 feet above ground level. He also reported that a combination of clouds and the sun made the wires 'virtually invisible' until the helicopter struck them. He reported that after striking the wire, the helicopter started to shake violently and he initiated a forced landing. During the forced landing the helicopter landed hard in approximately two feet of water.
Factual narrative
On December 6, 1998, approximately 1200 Pacific standard time, a Robinson R-22B, N2304W, operated by Classic Helicopters of Seattle, Washington, and flown by the pilot as a 14 CFR 91 personal flight, struck a telephone wire near Carnation, Washington, and subsequently made a hard landing in two feet of water. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a company visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The private pilot and his passenger were uninjured. The flight originated from Boeing Field in Seattle about 1 hour and 40 minutes earlier, and was to have been a local flight.
The pilot reported:
...I wanted to fly by my relatives to show my passenger...their farm.... We flew a reconnaissance pass over the farm at approximately 500 feet and decided to do a low pass in front of the house. The combination of the gray and black clouds with the sunshine on the horizon made the wires virtually invisible until we struck them at approximately 50 feet above the ground. The wire struck the trailing edge of the blade causing the helicopter to shake violently. I had to set the helicopter down immediately before something more serious happened. We landed hard in the water and shut the ship down....
The pilot reported on his NTSB accident report that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident.
The passenger reported:
...We were somewhere in the Carnation area when[the pilot] spotted his relatives['] farm. We circled it once up high and saw two people on the ground. We then dropped in elevation to get a closer look. As we circled the farm again we came upon some wires directly in front of us. They were extremely difficult to see. [The pilot] immediately tried to clear the wires but struck one of them. We started to shake violently and [the pilot] put the helicopter down. We hit the water hard but neither of us were hurt....
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2304W
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1961
- Airframe hours
- 3,896
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Classic Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Bin Bon Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 8, 1998 · 99 hours before
- Departed
- BFI · Seattle, WA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 115 total · 115 in this make and model · 66 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RNT, 16 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.