Helicopter Destroyed After Impacting Powerline, Vehicle, and Terrain in IFR Conditions (N7007F)

Incident Overview and Weather Conditions During cruise flight, the helicopter was destroyed after impacting a static powerline, a vehicle, and terrain. The pilot had requested to fly in controlled airspace from local air traffic control but was instructed to remain outside due to prevailing instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions. The reported weather included 1.5 statute miles of visibility, drizzle, and overcast skies at 400 feet. A witness described seeing a red light over what appeared to be a median, approximately a few hundred feet in the air. The light rose almost straight upward for about 200 feet before corkscrewing downward. The helicopter was placarded as approved for day and night visual flight rules (VFR) operations. An on-scene investigation found no pre-impact anomalies. The fiberglass chin portion of the front right side of the cabin had a linear tear, and the right side forward and aft cabin doors had linear scratches. The helicopter's color scheme was blue, white, and red. A power line contractor inspected the crash site at I-43 on December 14, 2001, and found plastic and fiberglass shavings on the static wire span, along with three different color paints, mainly blue, very little yellow, and a tiny bit of red. The apparent contact points on the shield wire were located 35 to 40 feet just north of mid-span. A power line employee calculated the wire was about 146 feet over the roadway. Robinson Safety Notice SN-26 stated that night flight plus bad weather can be deadly, noting that in darkness, a pilot cannot see wires, the bottom of clouds, or low-hanging scud or fog. A Flight For Life pilot stated that a request was received for aeromedical transport from an accident on Highway 164 and Interstate 43 by the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department, but the flight request was denied because the weather conditions were not acceptable.