- Date
- June 4, 2020, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Murphy, ID
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N130JSEnstrom 480
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Boise FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200604022119A
- Case key
- 101403
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 failure to maintain clearance from a power line while maneuvering during an aerial application flight.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during the aerial application flight, while maneuvering at low altitude, he came upon some trees and increased altitude to climbed above the treetops. He did not see that there were power lines behind the trees and did not have enough time to avoid colliding with two of the lines. The pilot was unable to maintain control of the helicopter descended in a slow spin to ground impact. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N130JS
- Reported as
- Enstrom 480 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5029
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 3,440.5
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce 250-C20W, 305 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2020
- Departed
- Renolds Creek, ID
- Destination
- Jordan Valley, OR
- Equipment
- None
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
- 65
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 17,021 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 16,919 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 150 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- BOI, 35 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 16, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.