Ely Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Eureka, Nevada 89316
Monday, February 18, 2013 14:24 PST

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

The pilot was flying a helicopter as part of a Department of Interior (DOI) reseeding project when the helicopter struck the static line above a set of power transmission lines. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The length and direction of the debris field was consistent with the helicopter traveling in the direction of, and at a rate of speed consistent with, a seed dispersal run. The pilot was familiar with the area and was aware of the transmission lines, having performed a reconnaissance flight and flown over them multiple times during the previous flights that day. In the area of the accident site, the power lines began an ascent up an adjacent hill, with the static lines diverging such that they were about 40 feet higher than the power lines at the collision location. The static lines were of thinner gauge and could easily have been obscured by the surrounding hilly terrain. The lines were depicted on the relevant Federal Aviation Administration sectional chart. The helicopter was not equipped with a wire strike protection system nor was it required to be under the terms of the DOI contract. Neither the power nor static lines were equipped with visibility markers nor were they required to be due to their elevation above ground level. The pilot had flown 40.5 hours over the last 5 days as part of the reseeding project, which was just short of the DOI contract maximum. A review his sleep history indicated that he received adequate rest the night before the accident. On the morning of the accident, he had flown 10 application runs in an area about 70 miles away. He took a lunch break about 3 hours before the accident, then flew 20 separate seed application runs and 10 reloads. His total flight time for that day was 6.6 hours. The low-level and “nap of the earth” flight operations required considerable concentration, most likely resulting in task-and/or work-related fatigue at the end of the day. By comparison, the United States Army recommends a maximum flight time of 8 hours per day or 37 hours per week, with a reduction of a factor of 1.3 to 1.6 for low-level and “nap of the earth” flying; thus the pilot would have exceeded their duty hour recommendations for each of the 5 days leading up to and including the accident day. The pilot held an assisted special issuance second-class medical certificate based on a reported history of diabetes for which he was taking medication. His most recent medical examination revealed a new diagnosis for hypertension, as well as preexisting cataracts in both eyes, which exhibited no change since his last examination a year prior. In part due to the lack of an autopsy, the relevance of these findings, combined with his likely work-related fatigue, could not be determined.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a wire while maneuvering during low-altitude operations. Contributing to the accident was task- and/or work-related fatigue.

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 2/18/2013
Event Day of the Week Monday
Time of Event 1424
Event Time Zone Pacific Standard Time
Event City Eureka
Event State NEVADA
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 89316
Event Date Year 2013
Event Date Month 2
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude 392853N
Event Location Longitude 1155021W
Event Location Airport Ely
Event Location Nearest Airport ID ELY
Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport Off Airport/Airstrip
Distance from airport in statute miles 54
Degrees magnetic from airport 280
Airport Elevation 6259
Weather Briefing Completeness --
Investigator's weather source Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 1415 Pacific Standard Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 340
Weather Observation Facility ID 05U
Elevation of weather observation facility 5958
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 12
Time Zone of the weather observation PST
Lighting Conditions Day
Lowest Ceiling Height --
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height --
Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions Clear
Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling None
Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) --
Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) --
Visibility (Statute Miles) 10
Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) 7
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) -8
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) --
Variable Wind Indicator --
Wind Speed (knots) --
Wind Velocity Indicator Calm
Wind Gust Indicator --
Wind Gust (knots) --
Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) 29.91
Density Altitude (feet) --
Intensity of Precipitation --
METAR weather report --
Event Highest Injury Fatal
On Ground, Fatal Injuries --
On Ground, Minor Injuries --
On Ground, Serious Injuries --
Injury Total Fatal 1
Injury Total Minor --
Injury Total None --
Injury Total Serious --
Injury Total All 1
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) 32343
NTSB Notification Source FAA ROC
NTSB Notification Date --
NTSB Notification Time --
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information --
Date of most recent change to record Jan 7 2014 1:20PM
User who most recently changed record sime1
Basic weather conditions Visual Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N20620
NTSB Number WPR13GA128
Missing Aircraft Indicator --
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Public Use
Type of Flight Plan filed Company VFR
Flight plan Was Activated? Yes
Damage Substantial
Aircraft Fire None
Aircraft Explosion None
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name BELL
Aircraft Model 206B
Aircraft Series Identifier --
Aircraft Serial Number 3369
Certified Max Gross Weight 3200
Aircraft Category Helicopter
Aircraft Registration Class --
Aircraft is a homebuilt? No
Flight Crew Seats --
Cabin Crew Seats --
Passenger Seats --
Total number of seats on the aircraft 5
Number of Engines 1
Fixed gear or retractable gear Fixed
Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection 100 Hour
Date of Last Inspection Feb 8 2013 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection 20
Airframe Hours 15540
ELT Installed No
ELT Activated Unknown
ELT Aided Location of Event Site Unknown
ELT Type --
Aircraft Owner Name EL AERO SERVICES INC
Aircraft Owner Street Address PO BOX 159
Aircraft Owner City ELKO
Aircraft Owner State NV
Aircraft Owner Country USA
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 89803-0159
Operator is an individual? No
Operator Name Bureau of Land Management
Operator Same as Owner? No
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? No
Operator Street Address --
Operator City Washington
Operator State DC
Operator Country USA
Operator Zip code --
Operator Code --
Owner has at least one certificate None
Other Operator of large aircraft? --
Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation --
Operator Certificate Number --
Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not --
Indicates Domestic or International Flight --
Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail --
Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) --
Second Pilot on Board No
Departure Point Same as Event Yes
Departure Airport Code ELY
Departure City Eureka
Departure State NV
Departure Country USA
Departure Time 1420
Departure Time Zone PST
Destination Same as Local Flt dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere
Destination Airport Code ELY
Destination City Eureka
Destination State NV
Destination Country USA
Specific Phase of Flight --
Report sent to ICAO? --
Evacuation occurred --
Date of most recent change to record Jan 7 2014 1:20PM
User who most recently changed record sime1
Since inspection or accident Last Inspection
Event Location Runway Number and Location N/A
Runway Length --
Runway Width --
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --