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• August 8, 2016 Create Date
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Wirestrike Involving a Robinson R44

On 10 April 2015, at about 1120 Central Standard Time
(CST), the pilot of a Robinson R44 helicopter, registered
VH-LOL (LOL) was engaged in herbicide dispensing
operations near Marion Bay on the Yorke Peninsula in South
Australia.

Also on board were client representatives who were directing
the noxious weed management operation and manually
dispensing the chemical into each bush. In the course of , .
traversing the field at low level in search of the weed, the Source; Supplied to the ATSBand reproduced with
helicopter struck a previously unidentified power line. The permissm"

helicopter’s main rotor blade made initial contact with the power line and during the avoidance
manoeuvre, the tail rotor blades also made contact, severing the blade tips (Figure 1). The pilot
landed the helicopter safely. The helicopter was substantially damaged but the occupants were
uninjured.

In preparation for the herbicide operations, the pilot conducted an aerial survey of the area. The
aerial survey was a standard operating procedure to confirm the powerlines as previously advised
by local sources. This survey identified main power lines running parallel to a boundary road and a
secondary power line running parallel to the main lines (Figure 2). The secondary line effectively
dissected the target area and operations were concentrated on sectors to the north and south of
the secondary line. The location of the power lines were also mapped on the data logger that was
being used to track the progress of the herbicide dispensing.

The unidentified powerline was a single wire that was strung between the poles supporting the
main and secondary powerlines and traversed, unsupported, through the southern boundary of
the operational area. It was not mentioned by the locals, nor marked on the data logger map. It
was not readily discernible from the air although additional support poles did lead the wire away
from the secondary power line towards a distant building.