Cleveland, MN, USA
N7925J
Bell 47G-5
The helicopter sustained substantial damage when it impacted a transmission wire and the terrain while performing aerial application maneuvers. The pilot reported he did not see the transmission wire until it impacted the windshield and deflected upwards towards the main rotorblades. The pilot stated the helicopter began to vibrate severely and descend. The helicopter impacted the terrain on its skids and rolled over onto its left side.
On July 15, 2003, about 0730 central daylight time, a Bell 47G-5 helicopter, N7925J, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed on impact with a transmission wire and terrain near Cleveland, Minnesota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The flight departed from a private airstrip near Cleveland, Minnesota, at 0725. The pilot reported he did not see the transmission wire until it impacted the cockpit windshield. The pilot stated the transmission wire deflected over the top of the cockpit and the helicopter started to "vibrate severely." He noted the helicopter started to descend and he "tried to pick [a] landing spot near [a] ditch in soft ground." The pilot reported he saw pieces of the helicopter that had been cut off by the main rotorblade "flying by the aircraft" prior to impact. The helicopter impacted on its skids and rolled onto its left side. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to the impact with the wires.
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and low altitude flight when he failed to maintain altitude/clearance from the transmission wire. A factor contributing to the accident was the transmission wire.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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