Summary
On October 12, 2009, about 0850 Pacific daylight time, a McDonnell Douglas 369FF helicopter, registration N527SH, collided with a wood power pole approximately 18 miles southeast of Fossil, Oregon. The sole occupant, the commercial pilot, was killed in the accident. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to most of its structure. The aircraft was owned and operated by Pacific Rim Helicopters LLC and was conducting a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 external load long-line flight in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed.
Accident Details
The pilot was supporting the installation of travelers (pulleys) on wood power poles to later allow ropes to be pulled through for power line installation. After assisting with traveler installation from about 0700 to 0815, the pilot refueled and then began stringing ropes through the travelers around 0830. The poles were spaced 400 to 500 feet apart. The rope being pulled was placed in the lowest traveler, located 32.4 feet from the top of the pole.
Witnesses reported that the pilot had placed the rope in the traveler on the second pole when the main rotor blades contacted the pole. Multiple witnesses heard the impact and saw blades separating. One witness, about 120-140 feet away, was holding tension on the rope. He stated the rope had just passed the traveler gate, and the pilot looked toward the next pole, then down at a skid mirror, and began to maneuver away. About 3-5 seconds after turning away, he heard a loud impact. Another witness, 800-900 feet away, heard a "funny" "woosh" sound and then saw the helicopter contacting the pole. A third witness heard a loud "bang or pop" and saw blades coming off. A fourth witness observed the helicopter slowly rotate counter-clockwise about 20 degrees and descend until blades contacted the pole; he noted the movements appeared controlled and at a normal rate.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The helicopter was a McDonnell Douglas 369FF with a Rolls-Royce 250-C30S turboshaft engine. The installed engine was a loaner, installed on July 30, 2009, with 102.4 hours since installation. The helicopter had 1,883.4 total hours at the time of the accident. The 37-year-old pilot held a commercial certificate with a helicopter flight instructor rating and no instrument rating. His last FAA medical was a Class 2 on May 6, 2009. He had 1,378 total flight hours, with 1,156 in the same make and model.
Weather and Wreckage
The accident occurred during daylight under clear skies with calm winds. Temperature was about 35°F. After impact, the helicopter fell onto a rocky slope and came to rest on its right side about 30 feet down-slope from the pole. All five main rotor blades separated from the hub. The tail boom separated into two sections. The long-line was found released from the side-hook, with the ball-hook near the pole base. Post-accident inspection of the engine and airframe found no pre-impact anomalies; the engine was capable of producing rated power. The pilot's cause of death was determined to be head and neck injuries. Toxicological tests were negative for alcohol and drugs.