Eurocopter France EC130 B4 accident near Prairie du Sac, WI
On August 7, 2004, an Eurocopter France EC130 B4 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Prairie du Sac, WI. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 7, 2004
- Place
- Prairie du Sac, WI
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter France EC130 B4 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.326°N, 89.718°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040811X01199
Official records · CHI04FA214
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 6, 2004, at 1959 central daylight time, a Eurocopter EC130 B4 helicopter, N450CM, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with a single-family residence and a post-impact fire near Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. One person in the residence sustained minor injuries. The flight departed the Rochester International Airport (RST), Rochester, Minnesota, approximately 1858. Records indicate that on the day of the accident, the accident pilot departed Billings, Montana (BIL), and flew to Belle Fourche, South Dakota (EFC), Huron, South Dakota (HON), and to Rochester, Minnesota (RST). An acquaintance of the pilot reported that the intended destination for the accident flight was Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She noted that the pilot was on a tour of the United States. The Sauk County Sheriff's Department conducted witness interviews after the accident and compiled witness statements. Several witnesses reported seeing a dark colored, low flying helicopter shortly before the time of the accident. Approximate locations of six witnesses were plotted on a sectional aeronautical chart. The number designations noted below correspond to the labels on the plot. The plot is included with the docket material associated with this accident file. A witness (#1) reportedly located about 12 miles north-northwest of Richland Center, Wisconsin, in an a
Probable cause
The pilot's intentional low-level flight toward the lake and his failure to maintain clearance from the static wire on power transmission lines. Contributing factors were the separation of the Fenestron (tail rotor) assembly from the tail boom as a result of the collision with the static wire and the subsequent loss of control.
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Browse: Wisconsin
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
