Helicopter wire strike accident and high voltage electrocution: a case report.

Helicopter wire-strike accidents usually involve high-voltage lines or telephone wires where the resulting impact is low velocity with minimal loss of occupiable space. Death and injury in these mishaps is often due to blunt force trauma to the head. In a recent wire strike accident investigated by the Division of Aerospace Pathology at The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the circumstances suggest that death of both aviators was due to high-voltage electrocution. Evidence surrounding the case and high-voltage electrocution are discussed.