Wirestrike involving a Robinson R66, VH-JRX What happened On 20 August 2014, the pilot of a Robinson R66 helicopter, registered VH-JRX, conducted a site inspection from a vehicle prior to commencing aerial spraying near Giru, Queensland. The pilot identified powerlines running along the eastern, southern and western boundaries of the paddock to be sprayed. He then conducted a flight over the paddock and assessed the hazards in the area and confirmed he was able to see all of the powerlines he had identified from the ground. As the wind was from the east-north-east, at about 1500 Eastern Standard Time (EST), the pilot commenced aerial spraying in an east-west direction. At the end of each run, the pilot climbed the helicopter up and over the powerlines, turned north then descended once clear of the powerlines and sprayed the paddock in the opposite direction. At about 1645, after completing 14 loads of spraying, the pilot commenced the final clean-up run. The helicopter was operating from north to south along the western boundary of the paddock, parallel to the powerlines (Figure 1). The pilot was aware of those powerlines, however when about 5 m from the southern boundary, he sighted the powerlines running perpendicular to the direction of flight. The pilot assessed that it was too late to climb over the powerlines and elected to fly underneath them. The crop was about 6 ft tall and the pilot wanted to ensure the helicopter remained above the crop. Figure 1: Approximate flight path of VH-JRX Source: Pilot recollection The main rotor blade hub struck the powerlines and the helicopter collided with the ground. The helicopter was substantially damaged (Figure 2) and the pilot sustained minor injuries. Figure 2: Damage to VH-JRX Source: Operator Pilot comments The pilot of VH-JRX provided the following comments: He had sprayed parallel to the wire which JRX struck and his attention was on the other powerlines that he had to climb over on each run. Normally he would do an extra check of the paddock prior to commencing the clean-up run, but he omitted it on this day.
Wirestrike involving a Robinson R66, VH-JRX What happened On 20 August 2014, the pilot of a Robinson R66 helicopter, registered VH-JRX, conducted a site inspection from a vehicle prior to commencing aerial spraying near Giru, Queensland. The pilot identified powerlines running along the eastern, southern and western boundaries of the paddock to be sprayed. He then conducted a flight over the paddock and assessed the hazards in the area and confirmed he was able to see all of the powerlines he had identified from the ground. As the wind was from the east-north-east, at about 1500 Eastern Standard Time (EST), the pilot commenced aerial spraying in an east-west direction. At the end of each run, the pilot climbed the helicopter up and over the powerlines, turned north then descended once clear of the powerlines and sprayed the paddock in the opposite direction. At about 1645, after completing 14 loads of spraying, the pilot commenced the final clean-up run. The helicopter was operating from north to south along the western boundary of the paddock, parallel to the powerlines (Figure 1). The pilot was aware of those powerlines, however when about 5 m from the southern boundary, he sighted the powerlines running perpendicular to the direction of flight. The pilot assessed that it was too late to climb over the powerlines and elected to fly underneath them. The crop was about 6 ft tall and the pilot wanted to ensure the helicopter remained above the crop. Figure 1: Approximate flight path of VH-JRX Source: Pilot recollection The main rotor blade hub struck the powerlines and the helicopter collided with the ground. The helicopter was substantially damaged (Figure 2) and the pilot sustained minor injuries. Figure 2: Damage to VH-JRX Source: Operator Pilot comments The pilot of VH-JRX provided the following comments: He had sprayed parallel to the wire which JRX struck and his attention was on the other powerlines that he had to climb over on each run. Normally he would do an extra check of the paddock prior to commencing the clean-up run, but he omitted it on this day.