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| Date: | Friday 30 July 2021 |
| Time: | 11:00 LT |
| Type: |  Robinson R66 |
| Owner/operator: | Higgins Leasing Inc |
| Registration: | N857TL |
| MSN: | 0601 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2015 |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce RR300 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 4 miles E of Thurston, Thurston County, NE -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that while cresting a hill at the end of a field during an aerial application pass, the helicopter's skids struck power lines and subsequently impacted terrain. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and rotors. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot reported that the aerial application pass was over rolling hills with terrain elevation changes of about 300 ft. and that could not see the end of the field where the power lines were because of the hill. When he crested the hill and saw the powerlines at eye-level, he attempted to climb over the power lines, but the skids struck the top static wire.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a wire during a low-level aerial application flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN21LA348
Location
Media:
Spray helicopter reportedly crashes into bean field near Thurston, Neb. https://t.co/6aNGjmAtXq
— Fox 18 KLJB (@YourFox18) July 30, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Jul-2021 11:56 | Geno | Added |
| 31-Jul-2021 12:39 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 31-Jul-2021 16:04 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, ] |
| 31-Jul-2021 16:53 | gerard57 | Updated [Embed code, Damage, ] |
| 03-Aug-2021 07:56 | Anon. | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 03-Aug-2021 10:28 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, ] |
| 03-Aug-2021 17:16 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative, ] |
| 08-Aug-2021 14:32 | harro | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 25-Jun-2022 14:04 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 25-Jun-2022 14:12 | harro | Updated [Departure airport, Narrative, ] |
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