BUTTONWILLOW, CA, USA
N919SF
Bell 47G-2
The pilot reported that he was spraying a cotton field that had power lines crossing it on wooden poles. He stated that as he was 'going around a pole,' the main rotor blade(s) hit the pole. The helicopter then crashed, began burning, and was destroyed.
On July 21, 1997, at 1025 hours Pacific daylight time, a Bell 47G-2, N919SF, collided with a power pole during an aerial application flight near Buttonwillow, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter was destroyed in the collision sequence and postcrash fire. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The helicopter was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 137, and the flight originated from the field to be sprayed at approximately 1000. In his written report, the pilot stated that he was spraying a cotton field that had power lines on wooden poles going through it. He stated that he was going around a pole and the main rotor blade hit the pole. The helicopter then rolled over, caught on fire, and was destroyed.
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate clearance from a utility pole (obstruction) during aerial application. The obstruction was a related factor.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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