ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 163570
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| Date: | Monday 27 January 2014 |
| Time: | 11:18 |
| Type: |  Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III |
| Owner/operator: | Delta Bravo Sierra Inc |
| Registration: | N207DS |
| MSN: | 51546 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1991 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5129 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C30 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | South of Silt, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Rifle, CO (RIL) |
| Rifle, CO (RIL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The purpose of the flight was to perform low-level aerial surveillance of power transmission lines using an external gimbal-mounted infrared camera to detect problems with the patrolled power lines. While patrolling above a power line that passed through a valley, the helicopter struck another power line that crossed perpendicular to the helicopter’s flightpath and was at a higher elevation than the patrolled power line and ran from poles mounted atop higher terrain. The struck power line was not marked with high-visibility balls nor was it required to be. The sun was directly in front of the helicopter and 30 degrees above the horizon at the time of the accident, which likely made it difficult for the pilot to see the crossing wire. Postaccident examination of the helicopter did not reveal any preimpact anomalies. Given that this was a low-level surveillance flight of power transmission lines, the pilot should have familiarized himself with the power lines he was going to patrol and any other wires or obstructions in the area before the flight. It is likely that he did not adequately plan for the flight and that, if he had, he might have been aware of the power line and been able to avoid it.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning for a low-level aerial surveillance flight of power transmission lines, which led to his being unaware of the crossing power line while flying toward the sun and his subsequent failure to maintain sufficient clearance from the wire.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=207DS
Location
Media:
NTSB investigating crash today of a Bell 206L-1 in Silt, Colo., during a power line inspection.
— NTSB (@NTSB) January 27, 2014
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Jan-2014 20:29 | gerard57 | Added |
| 27-Jan-2014 20:30 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 27-Jan-2014 20:34 | harro | Updated [Operator, Embed code] |
| 27-Jan-2014 22:44 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 28-Jan-2014 17:17 | harro | Updated [Registration, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Feb-2014 02:42 | Geno | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Sep-2015 12:22 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 29-Nov-2017 13:21 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
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