- Date
- December 21, 2021, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Strawberry, AZ · Landing Zone near dirt road in remote area
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N111ADHughes 369D
- Defining event
- Approach: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- 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
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20211221021329A
- Case key
- 104520
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 static wire during approach.
Findings · 3
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 helicopter pilot reported that, during an approach to an off-airport construction project landing zone, the helicopter struck a static wire that had been recently positioned above the landing area. The helicopter’s main rotor blades contacted the wire which resulted in substantial damage to the blades. The pilot was unaware of the static wire and did not observe it during the approach. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunction or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N111AD
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 400704D
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 2,480.1
- Engine
- Rolls Royce 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Southwest Helicservices LLC
- Registered owner
- Svp LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Strawberry, AZ
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- N/A · N/A
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Satellite tracking device
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 5, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 6,700 total · 2,566 in this make and model · 6,650 as pilot in command · 225 in the last 90 days · 89 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- KPAN, 16 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KPAN 211655Z AUTO 06004KT 10SM CLR 09/M04 A3027 RMK AO2
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 18, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 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.