Accident Details
A private pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in a helicopter under visual meteorological conditions. The accident occurred in a remote desert area near a line of power poles. According to a sergeant from the sheriff's office who responded to the scene, the power poles were approximately 60 feet high with two wires between each pole, the top wire about 4 feet above the lower wire. The lower power line appeared to have been cut by the helicopter between two poles, while the top line remained intact. The ranch at the end of the power line reported a power failure around 1630.
Wreckage Examination
An FAA aviation safety inspector examined the accident site. The wreckage was scattered along a path about 50 yards long in the direction of the helicopter's destination. The helicopter appeared to have been traveling on a general heading of south and crossed perpendicular to a road and the power lines before impacting the ground about 50 yards south of the lines. There was no large impact crater, and all major components were present at the site. The helicopter came to rest on its left side. The main rotor system was intact; one main rotor blade had little or no damage, while the second blade exhibited impact damage and striations starting about 4 feet from the hub on the leading edge, consistent with cutting the power line. The second blade also showed span-wise flex folding along the trailing edge.