Bell 206B accident near Pixley, California, October 2, 2005
On October 2, 2005 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N201SC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pixley, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the wire during a low altitude aerial application flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2005 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pixley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N201SC · registry record · serial 3427
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter impacted a support wire between two poles while it was conducting aerial applications. The pilot completed spraying the field and was getting ready to spray the borders. He checked the power lines near the field and elected to fly beneath them to prevent drift over the adjacent field. As the pilot neared the wires for the spray run, he noticed a guy-wire running from pole-to-pole below the power lines. He lowered to collective, but the helicopter snagged the wire with the top portion of the vertical stabilizer. The helicopter then impacted terrain and rolled into a canal.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 21,500 hours in all; 750 in this make and model; 326 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,256.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2005
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Pixley CA at 8:20 am
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX06CA002.