Incident Overview
A helicopter engaged in electrical power line construction operations experienced a hoist failure while hovering at approximately 200 feet above ground level. A lineman was standing on the helicopter's skid, preparing to attach a wire to the arm of a tower. The wire had been temporarily suspended by a hoist, and the lineman was inserting a fiber shoe to secure it.
Sequence of Events
While the helicopter hovered next to the wire, the hoist slipped, causing the wire to fall onto the top of the helicopter's skid. This resulted in a brief loss of control. During the loss of control, four of the main rotor blades impacted the tower, causing substantial damage to the rotor blades.
Emergency Response
The pilot quickly regained control of the helicopter and performed an emergency landing in tall corn approximately 200 feet from the accident location.