Accident Overview
On December 10, 2010, at approximately 1155 eastern standard time, a Bell 206B helicopter, registration N263CH, struck electrical wires while conducting a power line survey flight near Isom, Kentucky. The pilot performed an emergency landing in a parking lot adjacent to a roadway about one-quarter mile from the wire strike. The pilot received minor injuries; the two passengers were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the support post around the pilot-side door and to the forward fuselage on the pilot side.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The helicopter, manufactured in 1979, was issued an FAA airworthiness certificate on August 22, 1979, and had been registered to the pilot since May 16, 1997. It had accumulated 3,348 total flight hours at the time of the accident and underwent its last annual inspection on October 13, 2010.
The pilot, 56 years old, held an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and commercial pilot certificates with ratings for single-engine land, multiengine land, single-engine sea, helicopter, and instrument airplane and helicopter. He reported 19,000 total flight hours, including 3,750 hours in rotorcraft and 3,500 hours in the accident helicopter make and model. His most recent FAA second-class medical was issued on November 17, 2010, and his last flight review was on November 2, 2010.
Accident Details
According to the pilot, the helicopter was cruising at about 60 to 70 knots when it struck the static line atop a powerline. The pilot stated he never lost control of the helicopter after the wire strike and immediately landed in a nearby parking lot. He reported no mechanical anomalies prior to the incident. The flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 135, had departed from a remote location near Whitesburg, Kentucky, around 1030 for a local power line survey. The pilot was accompanied by two employees of the power company.
Weather Observations
The nearest recorded weather observation, taken at Julian Carroll Airport in Jackson, Kentucky, about 31 miles northwest of the accident site at 1153, indicated variable winds at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 3,500 feet above ground level, temperature 7°C, dew point -7°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.14 inches of mercury. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed.
Post-Accident Inspection
An FAA inspector examined the accident site and reported that the helicopter struck a 3/8-inch diameter, 7-strand wire. The wire cutter located below the main rotor mast had severed several strands, with a 12-inch piece of strand remaining in the cutter. One main rotor blade exhibited damage approximately 1 foot from the rotor tip. Control continuity was confirmed to all flight controls, and no damage was noted to the landing gear.