ROTARY WINGED ACFT ON BURIED CABLE INSPECTION FLT SUFFERS ACFT DAMAGE TO ITS UNDERCARRIAGE BY CABLE STRIKE IN A LOW ALT CIVIL OP.

Narrative

INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING A WKLY UNDERGND CABLE PATROL ALONG RAILROAD TRACKS WHICH PASS 3 NM N OF JOHNSTOWN- CAMBRIA ARPT (JST). WBOUND FLT WAS AT AN ALT OF 300 FT AGL AND JST TWR WAS CONTACTED FOR TRANSITION THROUGH ATA 5 MI NE OF JST. CONTINUING WBOUND ALONG TRACKS; I RECORDED A CABLE HAZARD CONDITION SPOTTED PRIOR TO CALL TO JST TWR. APPROX 2 MI E OF WIRE XING; I NOTED MY LOCATION AND THAT A PWR LINE XING WAS AROUND THE NEXT BEND. DURING THIS TIME I SPOTTED ANOTHER POSSIBLE CABLE HAZARD AND DSNDED; MAKING A 360 DEG TURN; TO ASSESS THE SITE. DETERMINING NO HAZARD; CONTINUED ALONG RAILROAD TRACKS AT 300 FT AGL. DURING THIS TIME THE ACFT STRUCK A PWR LINE XING THE RAILROAD TRACKS APPROX 3 MI NW OF JST. THE IMPACT TORE THE L SKID AND AFT XTUBE FROM THE ACFT; WHILE THE R SKID WAS HANGING BY THE FORWARD XTUBE ONLY. I THEN TURNED TOWARD JST; CONTACTING TWR TO DECLARE AN EMER. AFTER ARR; THE R SKID WAS REMOVED AND LNDG WAS MADE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT OR DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. A LATER AERIAL INSPECTION AT THE WIRE STRIKE SITE; SHOWED THAT THE DETACHED LNDG GEAR SECTION FELL TO THE GND IN AN AREA NEXT TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS AND CAUSED NO DAMAGE TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY ON THE GND. THE FAA INVESTIGATOR CLASSIFIED THIS AS AN 'ACFT INCIDENT' BECAUSE THERE WERE NO INJURIES; AND DAMAGE TO THE ACFT WAS LIMITED TO THE LNDG GEAR AND ITS ATTACH POINTS. I BELIEVE THAT THE INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF CONCENTRATION; MOST LIKELY DUE TO THE AFOREMENTIONED DISTRS. TO PREVENT FURTHER OCCURRENCES; I WOULD STRESS THE NEED TO MAINTAIN CONSTANT VIGILANCE; PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA OF KNOWN HAZARDS.