No fatalities

24 May 2010: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA — Pearsall, TX

Pearsall, TX, United States

On 24 May 2010, a ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA was involved in an aviation accident near Pearsall, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to see and avoid the power lines. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A helicopter struck power lines during a left slip and descent, breaking the lines and seriously injuring the left-seat passenger. The pilot landed and summoned medical assistance.

Incident Overview

A helicopter flying east encountered power lines while performing a left slip and descent. The pilot initiated the maneuver to look at something on the left side of the aircraft. During the descent, the helicopter's left side struck unseen power lines, causing them to break. The passenger seated on the left sustained serious injuries.

Sequence of Events

The pilot reported that while flying east, he put the helicopter into a slip and descent to the north (left) to examine something closer on the left side. As the helicopter descended, it hit power lines that were not visible beforehand. The impact broke the power lines and resulted in injury to the left-seat passenger.

According to a later statement by the passenger, they had been hunting hogs at the time of the accident. The passenger recalled that the hog they were pursuing moved from the right side of the helicopter to the left, and the pilot then put the helicopter into a left slip. That was the last thing the passenger remembered about the flight.

Aftermath

Following the collision, the pilot successfully landed the helicopter nearby and called for medical assistance for the injured passenger. The extent of the passenger's injuries required serious medical attention, but details of recovery are not specified in the source.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

Awareness of conditionEffect on equipment