On April 30, 1996, at 2240 hours mountain standard time, a Hughes 369 helicopter, N5062Q, collided with some power lines during a night visual operation near Yuma, Arizona. The helicopter received substantial damage and the pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed and a company VFR flight plan was activated. The aircraft is owned and operated by the U.S. Border Patrol as a public-use aircraft. According to the operator, the pilot is experienced in the area and did not report any visual or mechanical problems with the aircraft prior to colliding with the wires. The pilot stated in his accident report that he was in the beginning of a planned turn to the right at an indicated airspeed between 30 to 40 knots when he heard a loud bang with a momentary ball of fire in the cockpit. He landed the aircraft, and after inspection, found four severed strands of aluminum power transmission lines lying on the ground next to the aircraft.