What happened
On 20 December 2023, a Bell 407 helicopter, registration ZS-RXO, was performing aerial work near the T299 mast in the Majuba Venus area of KwaZulu-Natal. The flight, operated under Part 127 regulations, carried a pilot and two transmission line workers to install bird diverters on an earth conductor.
While the crew was positioned over the site, one worker sat on the helicopter's right skid gear to perform the installation while the second worker assisted from the cabin. During the operation, the pilot heard a distinct popping sound. Although no vibrations were felt in the controls, the pilot immediately aborted the task and landed the aircraft safely at a nearby landing zone. There were no injuries to the three occupants.
The investigation
An inspection of the aircraft following the event revealed that the tips of all four main rotor blades had sustained damage. The investigation established that the blades had made contact with the earth conductor wire, causing strands of the conductor to protruded from its loom. The aircraft was subsequently transported via flatbed truck to an approved maintenance organisation for a comprehensive inspection.