ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 287122
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| Date: | Friday 13 March 2009 |
| Time: | 13:25 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 222 |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | N222LL |
| MSN: | 47060 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9895 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming LTS-101 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Milliken, Colorado -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Denver-Centennial Airport, CO (APA/KAPA) |
| Weld County, CO | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A witness on the ground was watching the helicopter when he saw several pieces fall off and subsequently land in his and a neighbor's yard. The commercial pilot said that he was en route cruising at approximately 1,500 feet above ground level when he felt a "bump on the controls" and heard a "bang" and thought that he had hit a bird. He returned to his departure airport 45 miles away for an otherwise uneventful landing. On postflight inspection, the pilot discovered that the lower portion of the left engine cowling was missing and that the cowling pieces had struck both main rotor blades and both tail rotor blades, but no evidence of bird remains were found. The impact caused substantial damage to the left engine cowling, both tail rotor blades, the tail rotor yoke, and the tail rotor gearbox. The pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot said that before departure he had conducted a preflight inspection; however, the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the helicopter and the separated pieces of the left engine cowling found no evidence of bird remains and no damage to the cowling latches that would have prevented them from operating normally prior to the accident.
Probable Cause: The separation of the left engine cowling for undetermined reasons.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN09CA218
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 12 June 1984 | N222LH | Life Guard Of America,inc. | 0 | Salem, VA | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Oct-2022 07:30 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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