Originally Posted by
blackdog7
High stakes when a multi billion dollar new platform has an inflight separation vs crew making contact with a power line, or both. Textron has said the aircraft was exceeding expectations and had achieved over 200 knots, so speculation is speculation, be it RBS, separation, or wire strike.
If you take a look at the news reports, you'll find that emergency personnel who arrived on scene disagreed with an early report of the helicopter hitting the power lines, even though the aircraft's parts came down near some power lines.
http://www.verticalmag.com/news/two-...-flight-tests/
Photos of the crash site show a compact debris field, with only small fragments of the fuselage visible. WFAA reported eyewitness claims that the aircraft hit a power line and exploded, but the Texas Department of Public Safety said the aircraft did not strike the line and electricity transmission was unaffected.
http://www.heliweb.com/bell-525-rele...crashes-texas/
The NTSB was headed to the crash scene at the time of the report. Early media coverage at the scene detailed an interview with two farmers that claim to have seen the helicopter come into contact with wires or a utility pole before the aircraft impacted the ground, however, followup reports stated that there had been no power outages in the area and all wires in the vicinity appeared to be intact. The crash resulted in a substantial fire that consumed a majority of the helicopter wreckage and singed the top of a utility pole close by. Helicopter debris was mainly localized at the crash site, however the tail boom of the 525 was reported to have been located 1,500 feet southeast of the main wreckage and appears from media footage shot from overhead to have no fire damage and a serrated angled tear at the point of separation.