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Atlas / NTSB / WPR23LA105

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR23LA105

2023-02-05 Yakima, Washington, United States None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N7452F

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

HUGHES 269C

TCDS

4H12 · SCHWEIZER RSG LLC

Seats / Engines

3 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19830715

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S AA07C1

Registrant of record

REEP NIC K

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to see and avoid a powerline while flying at low altitude over a river.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while flying low along the river, the helicopter collided with an unseen wire. The pilot subsequently accomplished a landing in the shallow water of the river without further incident. A main rotor blade was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter 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).

  • Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Effect on operation
  • Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA105.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.