Special Events and
Attractions: Imperial Sand Dunes; Salton Sea;
Airport
Area Accident History:
Accident occurred Tuesday,
January 29, 2008 in Brawley, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date:
3/31/2008
Aircraft: Bell OH-58A,
registration: N902SF
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The pilot was spraying fields at
night. He had just completed spraying a field and
was climbing out to move to a second field when the
helicopter collided with unmarked high tension
electrical wires. He felt the impact and was
momentarily blinded by the bright electrical flash.
The pilot reported that the helicopter was out of
control and after about 2 or 3 seconds, the
helicopter impacted the ground. After impact, he
unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the helicopter. He
reported that the engine was still running and he
continued to experience some blindness. The pilot
walked a few steps away from the helicopter before
his regained his vision. He looked back at the
helicopter to make sure there was no fire, and then
went back to it, and shut it down. The pilot stated
that there were no preimpact mechanical problems
with the helicopter. The pilot said he had been
spraying in this area for years and was aware of the
general location of the power lines in the area. The
National Transportation Safety Board determines the
probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The
pilot's failure to maintain clearance from
obstacles. A factor in the accident was the dark
night conditions. ===
Accident occurred Wednesday,
January 15, 2003 in BRAWLEY, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date:
12/28/2004
Aircraft: Cessna A188A,
registration: N5638J
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
After takeoff, the engine
started to lose power, and the pilot made a forced
landing in an open field. The airplane came to rest
in a ditch. The flight was an agricultural
application flight and was carrying herbicide at the
time of the accident. The engine had accumulated
about 17 hours since a factory overhaul, and had
been installed on the accident airplane for 2 months
prior to the accident. An on-scene inspection of the
engine established mechanical and valve train
continuity. Investigators obtained thumb compression
in firing order. No discrepancies were found during
a teardown inspection of the engine and propeller.
Bench tests of the fuel and ignition systems
revealed operation within specification. The
National Transportation Safety Board determines the
probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: loss
of engine power for undetermined reasons. ===
Accident occurred Wednesday,
February 02, 2000 in BRAWLEY, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date:
7/2/2001
Aircraft: Air Tractor AT-301,
registration: N23043
Injuries: 1 Serious.
The pilot was spraying sulfur on
a carrot field when he lost engine power and made a
forced landing in an alfalfa field, coming to rest
inverted. The pilot had noted an increase in oil
consumption the day of the accident. A witness
observed two puffs of black smoke emanate from the
airplane prior to making the forced landing. During
the engine inspection it was noted that the number 5
exhaust rocker arm was found broken. Further
disassembly of the number 5 cylinder revealed that
the exhaust push rod was bent; due to the appearance
and length it was determined that it was the intake
push rod. When the exhaust push rod and the intake
push rod were placed side-by-side, the intake push
rod was the longer of the two and the one that was
bent. Maintenance personnel stated that the only way
an intake push rod could be installed in the exhaust
side of the cylinder was to loosen the cylinder and
pull it away from the case to allow for an increased
distance between the rocker arm and lifter. When the
cylinder was re-torqued, with the push rods in a
switched configuration, the intake push rod would
bend in the exhaust housing due to its length. After
replacement of the pushrods and broken rocker arm,
an engine run was conducted with no anomalies noted.
Review of the engine logbook revealed that a major
overhaul had been conducted on the engine
approximately 3 months prior to the accident.
Records indicated a mechanic and inspector conducted
an inspection of the cylinders and associated
components; the engine was test run with no
discrepancies and then inspected by a different
mechanic and inspector and signed off by all four
individuals as being in airworthy condition and
returned to service. A review of the engine logbooks
also revealed that maintenance had been performed on
the airplane since the overhaul, but not in the area
of the number 5 cylinder. The National
Transportation Safety Board determines the probable
cause(s) of this accident as follows: Failure of the
engine due to improper installation of the intake
and exhaust push rods (components were switched) by
unknown maintenance personnel. ===
Accident occurred Tuesday,
January 18, 2000 in BRAWLEY, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date:
12/6/2002
Aircraft: Bell OH-58C,
registration: N436SD
Injuries: 1 Minor.
The helicopter was engaged in
agricultural aerial application. During a swath run
over a field it descended and hit the ground. The
post crash inspection revealed contaminants in the
fuel system. Lack of engine rotational signatures
were also noted. The source of the fuel
contamination was not identified. The National
Transportation Safety Board determines the probable
cause(s) of this accident as follows: The fuel
system contamination that resulted in a loss of
engine power during aerial application and a
subsequent collision with the ground.
Brawley
Airport
Approach / Landing:
