Accident Details
A helicopter pilot, who keeps the aircraft at his residence, flew to his sister's house on the day of the accident. After dinner, he departed from his sister's house, located about 5 miles from the accident site, with two passengers. They flew around the town of Tallassee before the pilot entered the downwind leg for runway 13 at Reeves Airport. He turned onto base leg over the Tallapoosa River, flying south. The pilot observed a glimmer and remembers seeing power lines. The next thing he recalls is being in the river.
Examination Findings
Postcrash examination revealed that the helicopter had collided with an unmarked power transmission line. The line drooped below tree level on the river banks, to a point about 75 feet above the river. The collision occurred about mid-span over the river, and the wire wrapped around the main rotor mast. The main rotor system separated from the helicopter, and the helicopter crashed into the river about 500 feet south of the power lines. No evidence of precrash failure or malfunction of the helicopter structure, flight controls, or engine was found. Toxicology tests performed on specimens obtained from the pilot after admission to a hospital were negative for ethanol and drugs.