History of Flight
On June 2, 2020, at approximately 1250 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206L3 helicopter, registration N65PJ, sustained substantial damage in an accident near Fairfield, California. The pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was being operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 as a rotorcraft external load operation, under contract by PJ Helicopters for Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to perform power line repair work.
A fuel truck driver reported arriving at the landing zone at about 0900, where the accident pilot and helicopter were already waiting. Flight operations commenced between 1100 and 1130. According to the operator, at about 1250, the two linemen had completed their work for the day, and the pilot proceeded to their location to retrieve them via longline from the tower on which they had been working. At that time, for unknown reasons, the linemen were lowered to the ground and disconnected from the longline. The helicopter circled for several minutes before being called back, and the linemen reattached to the longline. A witness observed the accident helicopter ascending toward the lower line of a set of powerlines. The main rotor contacted the line, after which the helicopter impacted terrain, rolled downhill, and came to rest in a ravine. According to PG&E, the impacted power line was about 200 ft above ground level, located approximately mid span between two towers at the bottom of a valley.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for rotorcraft-helicopter and instrument helicopter. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration second-class medical certificate was issued on December 23, 2019, at which time he reported 3,099 total hours of flight experience, with 422 hours in the previous six months.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The helicopter was recovered from the site for examination. Flight control continuity was established from the single cockpit control to the control surfaces through breaks in the system consistent with impact damage. Continuity was confirmed from the main rotor drive shaft to the main rotor. The freewheeling unit operated normally. The transmission-to-engine main drive shaft remained attached at the transmission via the Kaflex; the aft Kaflex was fractured.
One main rotor blade (white blade) was fractured about 73 inches from the blade grip, with the trailing edge split down its length starting about 13 inches from the grip. The tip of the rotor blade was separated and displayed evidence of a wire strike. The white pitch change link was fractured about 6 inches from the lower end of the tube. The other main rotor blade (red blade) was fractured about 36 inches from the grip, with the outer skin separated from the carbon layup of the top surface, the interior core separated from the lower surface, and the trailing edge split in several locations with the interior core missing. The red pitch change link was fractured at the lower end connection.
Examination of the transmission, pylon, and hydraulics system revealed no anomalies. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies. The compressor impeller was undamaged and displayed evidence of dirt ingestion consistent with operation at the time of impact.