Accident Overview
On February 27, 2015, at 1030 Pacific standard time, a Bell 47G-2A helicopter (registration N4774S) collided with a suspended power line approximately 15 miles northeast of Ivanhoe, California. The helicopter was owned by Barton Aero, Inc., and operated by Gilbert Aviation as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. The commercial pilot was seriously injured, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed.
Pilot Account and Wreckage Examination
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who spoke with the pilot, the pilot was aware of the power line and attempted to avoid it at the last moment by flying underneath it. However, the wire caught the helicopter's main rotor mast. The helicopter came to rest on its right side in an orange tree orchard. The pilot was able to self-extract and sustained multiple broken bones.
Inspection of the wreckage by the FAA inspector confirmed that an electrical power cable had become wrapped around the helicopter's rotor mast.
Mechanical Status
The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.