ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 290017
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| Date: | Thursday 23 May 2013 |
| Time: | 20:00 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 206B |
| Owner/operator: | Air-evac Lifeteam |
| Registration: | N297CA |
| MSN: | 1453 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 15025 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | St Louis, Missouri -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Saint Louis-Spirit of St. Louis Airport, MO (SUS/KSUS) |
| Saint Louis-Spirit of St. Louis Airport, MO (SUS/KSUS) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The flight instructor reported that, shortly after he and the pilot-rated student departed on a night training flight in the turbine-powered helicopter, they heard a loud bang, and the helicopter yawed left. The flight instructor chose to perform an autorotation with forward airspeed onto the airport's taxiway. Examination of the turbine engine revealed several holes in the compressor case, consistent with engine blades exiting the engine. Further examination revealed that the stages 3 through 6 compressor blades had separated at the roots. Examination also revealed that the 3rd-stage wheel blade root had fractured due to progressive cracking, consistent with fatigue; 54 percent of the fracture surface exhibited fatigue features. However, the fracture initiation surface was destroyed, so it was not possible to determine the cause of the fatigue failure. Indications of fatigue were also found on the stages 3 through 6 blades' fracture surfaces. The engine's compressor had 13,874 hours time since new (TSN) and the compressor rotor stages 1 through 6 wheels had 1,185.3 hours TSN and were Parts Manufacturer Approval replacement parts.
Probable Cause: The loss of engine power due to the separation of compressor blades, which resulted from fatigue cracking.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN13LA378
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 19 August 1989 | N117V | Mid-state Executive Helicopter | 0 | Fruithurst, AL | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Oct-2022 07:09 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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