Robinson Helicopter R44 N529DW accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to fly over the river at a low altitude and his failure to maintain clearance with wires during low-level flight.

NTSB analysis

The commercial pilot of the helicopter had just finished a low-level aerial photography flight of a boating event along a series of lakes and rivers. The pilot landed the helicopter, off-loaded the photographer, and departed to a nearby airport to refuel. Witnesses and surveillance video indicated that the helicopter was flying northwest over the river when, about 1/2 mile from the takeoff location, it contacted two lines of an unmarked five-line array that crossed about 100 ft above the river. The tail rotor separated from the helicopter, and the helicopter subsequently impacted the river.

The photographer reported that they had flown over numerous bridges and power lines during the earlier flight and that they had discussed the location of the power lines in reference to the bridges. Examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot flying at an unnecessarily low altitude and then failing to maintain clearance from the wires while flying at low level.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN18FA215 for the full record.