The helicopter was destroyed when it impacted power lines and the ground while filming for a motion picture. The pilot and one passenger received serious injuries. One passenger was fatally injured. The motion picture camera's film was developed and a dubbed version was examined by the National Transportation Safety Board's Vehicle Recorder Division. The video contained several recorded scenes of a car travelling on a highway. During the final portion of the last recorded scene, the helicopter's speed and altitude were estimated to be 50 to 60 miles per hour and 30 and 50 feet above the ground as it travelled parallel to the highway. The recording did not contain evidence of any avoidance or maneuver prior to the end of the recording. Local authorities confirmed that power lines that ran perpendicular to the road that the helicopter paralled were severed when they arrived at the accident scene. The height of the wires was estimated to be about 50 feet. No aircraft, control or engine anomalies were found that could be determined to have existed prior to the accident.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

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