ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 308098
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| Date: | Thursday 27 August 1998 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Aerospatiale SA316B Alouette III |
| Owner/operator: | U.S. Department of the Interior |
| Registration: | N605RA |
| MSN: | 1165 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1964 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3305 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca ARTOUSTEIIIB |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Porterville, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter had a bambi bucket on a 100-foot-long line. The bucket became entangled in some trees and the line snapped and wrapped itself around the tail rotor. The tail rotor blades and gearbox separated from the aircraft and the helicopter spun to the ground and rolled down a steep slope. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunction with the aircraft prior to the accident. Wire marks were found on the tail rotor blades and around the output shaft.
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate in-flight clearance between the bucket and trees resulting in the entanglement/separation of the long line and subsequent impact with and separation of the tail rotor assembly. A factor was the trees.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Sep-2023 00:04 | Ron Averes | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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