A sudden adjustment to the job was followed by an unnerving encounter with wires – but cutters prevented a tragedy.
After arriving at the central North Island farm and speaking to the farmer, the helicopter pilot flew over the area for a recce. He’d previously sprayed at this property but not in this particular area. He was made aware of the existence of powerlines in the area during the briefing.
The first run had no issues. The pilot started on the second block, and was doing “nice lines”, when he noticed an area to the left he’d missed.
The pilot made a split-second decision to change plans and do that area, but in doing so, flew into the power lines.
He did see the wires at the last minute, the subsequent operator’s report noted, “…and then ‘bang’, the wire strike kit did what it’s designed to do and, in fact, cut three wires.”
The wires ended up wrapped around the helicopter’s left skid and mirror on the pilot’s side. The pilot managed to manoeuvre so the wires untangled, and the pilot and aircraft landed safely.
“Don’t change your block plan while flying, You need to be on the ground thinking through any change and the effect that change will have,” says the pilot.
The wire cutters on the helicopter turned what could have been a tragedy into a good news story.
A wire cutting system channels a wire or cable into the cutter to score it as it travels into the cutter assembly, to ‘cut’ the wire before it damages the aircraft.
“I might not be here if it weren’t for that kit,” says the pilot. “Wire cutters certainly save lives.”
If you must change your plans
In a 2021 Vector article, “It’s all on the line”, CAA human factors specialist at the time, Matt Harris, said that plans do change from time to time.
But when they do, he said, “…it’s important to give yourself the time to update your knowledge of the conditions and other factors, and understanding of the hazards as they apply to your new plan.”
More information
Read wire safety advice.
Photo: 'ILA 2010 Samstag 138' by ILA-boy is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.