ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 238868
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| Date: | Friday 31 July 2020 |
| Time: | 10:57 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Raven I |
| Owner/operator: | Riverina Helicopters |
| Registration: | VH-HNF |
| MSN: | 2524 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2018 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Steam Plains, 69 km SE of Hay, NSW -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Steam Plains, NSW |
| Steam Plains, NSW | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On 31 July 2020, the pilot of a Robinson R44 Raven I helicopter, registered VH-HNF,operated by Riverina Helicopters, was preparing to conduct aerial weed spraying at Steam Plains, 69 km south-east of Hay Airport (HXX/YHAY), New South Wales.
Prior to commencing the day’s flying, the pilot briefed with the helicopter owner/operator, who was performing the role of ground crew and responsible for loading the helicopter with chemical. The briefing included a review of the day’s tasking, maps of the property and hazards associated with the operation. The identified hazards included a 19.1 kV single wire earth return powerline, which crossed the property fence line about 5 m above the ground. The powerline had been marked on the pilot’s map during initial planning with the property manager 2 days prior.
The ground crew then loaded the helicopter with chemical from a centrally-located vehicle. According to recorded GPS data from the helicopter, after loading, the pilot flew the helicopter to the property boundary to spray along the fence line, 2.5-5 m above the ground, before returning to the loader. The pilot sprayed four loads over an 80-minute period and departed with the fifth load at about 1050 Eastern Standard Time.
The GPS data showed that the pilot flew the helicopter to the property boundary and began spraying the fifth load. About 350 m before reaching the position where the previously-identified powerline crossed the fence line, the pilot manoeuvred the helicopter to climb over an area of trees 12-15 m high, before descending to continue spraying. During the descent, the helicopter struck the powerline. The electricity provider reported that the fault to the powerline occurred at 10:57. This was consistent with the time of the last recorded GPS position, about 300 m prior to the powerline.
The helicopter subsequently collided with terrain about 120 m beyond the powerline, resulting in fatal injuries to the pilot. The helicopter was substantially damaged.
Contributing factors:
- The pilot did not conduct an aerial inspection to verify the location of hazards including the powerline identified during pre-flight planning. As the wire was very difficult to see, the pilot was unable to see and avoid the wire before the helicopter struck it.
- The pilot's injuries were consistent with flailing due to the left-side impact, but it could not be determined whether the pilot was not wearing, or slipped out of, the shoulder sash portion of the 3-point harness.
Other factors that increased risk:
- The pilot was not effectively managing severe obstructive sleep apnoea, which had not been disclosed to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. This prevented its oversight of any ongoing safety risk associated with the condition.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-31/nsw-emergency-services-respond-to-riverina-helicopter-crash/12511952
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2020/07/31/helicopter-crash-conargo/
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/nsw/helicopter-crashes-in-nsw-riverina-region-20200731-p55hc2.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-03/pilot-dan-slennett-dies-in-hospital-after-riverina-chopper-crash/12517890
https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2020/aair/ao-2020-040/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Jul-2020 06:18 | gerard57 | Added |
| 31-Jul-2020 07:07 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 31-Jul-2020 17:27 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source] |
| 03-Aug-2020 04:21 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Aug-2020 12:12 | HeliHub | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 02-Mar-2021 18:47 | rudy | Updated [[Registration, Cn, Source]] |
| 05-Apr-2021 14:03 | harro | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Damage, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2021 10:02 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
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