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Atlas / NTSB / LAX93LA157

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event LAX93LA157

1993-03-20 GREENFIELD, California, United States Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE FROM THE POWER LINES WHILE PERFORMING AN AERIAL APPLICATION RUN.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS FLYING UNDER A DIAGONAL SET OF POWERLINES IN THE NORTH EAST CORNER OF THE FIELD HE WAS SPRAYING. HE REPORTED THAT AFTER CLEARING THE DIAGONAL SET AT THE FIELD BOUNDARY HE PULLED UP TO AVOID ANOTHER SET OF LINES; HOWEVER, HE FAILED TO CLEAR THE UPPERMOST WIRE. AFTER COLLIDING WITH THE WIRE, THE HELICOPTER DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1993_LAX93LA157.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.