What happened
The pilot was conducting an agricultural spraying operation when the incident occurred. At the time of the event, the aircraft was operating within the northeast corner of the designated spray field. The pilot reported navigating under a diagonal set of powerlines that crossed this specific area.
After successfully clearing the first diagonal set at the field boundary, the pilot initiated a climb to avoid a second, subsequent set of lines. During this maneuver, the aircraft failed to clear the uppermost wire of the obstacle. Following the initial contact with the wire, the helicopter lost control and descended rapidly before colliding with the ground.
The investigation
The investigation relied primarily on the pilot's account of the sequence of events. No mechanical failure was identified as a contributing factor prior to the collision. The primary finding was the insufficient clearance between the aircraft and the overhead powerlines during the avoidance maneuver.