History of Flight
On December 14, 2021, at approximately 1236 central standard time, a Bell 407 helicopter, registration N150AS, was destroyed when it collided with a guy wire suspended between transmission line trusses near LaPlace, Louisiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
The helicopter departed from the Gonzales, Louisiana, area and was en route to New Orleans Lakefront Airport (NEW). Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data indicated the helicopter’s altitude varied between 75 and 175 ft above ground level (agl) during the flight. Approximately 0.88 miles from the accident site, the helicopter descended to 50 ft agl. The last ADS-B data point, recorded at 1236:26, showed the helicopter near the intersection of transmission lines over Interstate 10, traveling at a groundspeed of about 104 knots and an altitude of 75 ft agl. The helicopter subsequently struck a western guy wire estimated to be about 130 ft above a trestle bridge. Several commercial vehicle video cameras captured the helicopter’s descent and impact with the highway. A postimpact fire ensued and destroyed the helicopter.
Pilot Information
A review of the pilot’s logbook revealed that he had 12 hours of instrument flight experience, all logged in fixed-wing aircraft. The pilot’s most recent instrument flight was on May 21, 2019.
Meteorological Information
Meteorological information indicated no frontal boundaries near the accident site. The nearest official aviation weather observation station reported 4 miles visibility, mist, a broken ceiling at 400 ft, and an overcast ceiling at 1,000 ft. An upper air sounding suggested potential for cloud formation between 600 and 3,250 ft. Weather satellite imagery showed cloud cover above the accident site and to the north and west, moving south to north at the time of the accident. AIRMET Sierra, issued at 0845, forecast instrument meteorological conditions with mist and fog through 1500 near the accident site. The pilot did not receive a weather briefing from Leidos Flight Service or ForeFlight.
After the accident, a US Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter launched for search and rescue support. The USCG pilot reported visual flight rules (VFR) at Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY), but conditions deteriorated to marginal VFR and instrument flight rules to the west. Due to low-level fog, the stanchions of the power lines were “barely visible” from the east; from the west, the fog layer was above the power lines with high cloud layers reaching about 1,200 ft. The USCG pilot also noted that from a top-down view, “there was very dense fog from all areas with a tall column of clouds to the west of the power line intersection” where the accident occurred. At 500 ft over the shoreline, visibility was good, but on land to the west, a “wall of clouds” to 1,200 ft was present.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The helicopter impacted the highway on a trestle bridge in a steep nose-low attitude. The main rotor blades, mast, and transmission separated from the fuselage and fell into Lake Pontchartrain. The postimpact fire consumed most of the fuselage.
Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed markings on two main rotor blades consistent with contact with a braided metal wire. No anomalies were found with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter.