ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 201964
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| Date: | Saturday 13 February 1999 |
| Time: | 17:45 LT |
| Type: |  MBB BK 117B-1 |
| Owner/operator: | Hermann Hospital Life Flight |
| Registration: | N220HH |
| MSN: | 7215 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1989 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6348 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming LTS-101-B-1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Hockley, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | |
| Houston, TX (20TA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter impacted power lines while departing from an automobile accident scene. The helicopter was part of a two aircraft team dispatched to the scene of the automobile accident. During the landing approach, the pilot noticed the power lines running parallel to the road; however, he did not consider them to be an unusual hazard at the time. After the passengers were loaded into the helicopter, the pilot took off, drifted toward the wires, and impacted the power lines. The pilot then landed the helicopter in an adjacent field. The pilot stated that at the time the helicopter impacted the wires 'the sun was shining directly into the aircraft' and that 'trash was blowing around.' Another helicopter was dispatched to the scene of the accident to transport the patients to the hospital.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the power lines. A factor was the sunglare reducing the pilot's visibility.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW99LA080
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Nov-2017 10:00 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
| 08-Apr-2024 09:44 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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