Mon, Nov 28, 2011
Families Sued After Bell 206 Went Down With Four Aboard
Southern California Edison has reached a financial settlement
with the families of a pilot and three passengers killed when a
helicopter hit an unmarked power line suspended above the Sierra
National Forest in January of last year. According to KMPH-TV, the
utility company decided not to test its luck before a jury, and
settled out-of-court. The amount of the settlement is confidential,
but thought to be in the millions of dollars.
The NTSB determined that the Bell 206B (similar aircraft
pictured) was just below two steel "skylines" strung above the
conducting lines themselves, and struck those one of those upper
lines from below, making the point of contact on the helicopter too
high on the fuselage for the wire cutter to be effective. The
powerline involved in this accident was reportedly strung
between support towers only 95 feet tall. The line was marked on
the applicable sectional chart, and also on a printed survey map
found in the debris field.
While the highest point along the line exceeds 200 feet above
ground, which would trigger an FAA requirement for spherical
visibility markers or similar identification devices, these lines
pre-date that requirement, and were therefore not out of
compliance.
The helicopter was carrying a pilot and three California
Department of Fish and Game biologists who were conducting
a wildlife survey. The NTSB determined that at the time of the
accident, the agency did not have any formal safety or operational
training systems in place for passengers who fly on surveying
missions.
The fact that newer laws would have required the lines be better
marked was raised in the suit. Marni Cotter,whose husband was one
of the victims, told KMPH, "The accident shouldn't have happened
and wouldn't have happened if Edison would have followed industry
standards."
Regarding the settlement, she added, "You...look at the
potential benefits and what it's going to mean for me and my family
and public safety, and you know to that extent I'm satisfied."
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