NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN23LA280
Registry · N828WP
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON 206L-1
Year of manufacture
1979 · 44 years old at event
TCDS
H2SW · BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA LTD
Engine
ROLLS-ROYC 250-C30P (650 hp)
Seats / Engines
7 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20130404
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB5095
Registrant of record
BAS PART SALES LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to see and avoid wires while conducting a low-level aerial application flight.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during an aerial application flight, the helicopter impacted wires that he failed to see, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and rotor blades. He stated that a road that paralleled the field dipped down, which made the wires appear below the horizon. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Awareness of condition
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_CEN23LA280.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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