What happened
On July 20, 2011, a Bell 47G-5, registration N1375X, was engaged in an aerial application flight in Watsonville, California. The pilot was performing a task to wash the hopper tank with water in preparation for a subsequent chemical load.
While performing a second pass over the field, the pilot attempted to maneuver underneath a wire that was positioned perpendicular to the flight path. The pilot descended to an altitude of approximately 5 feet to clear the wire. During this maneuver, the outer tip of one main rotor blade struck a pole. This impact caused the helicopter to hit the ground and subsequently roll over.
There were no injuries resulting from the accident.