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."

FMI: www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20100105X94046&key=1