ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 355267
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| Date: | Friday 12 September 1997 |
| Time: | 18:15 LT |
| Type: |  Hughes MDL-369HS |
| Owner/operator: | Mid South Aviation, Inc. |
| Registration: | N107CW |
| MSN: | 640610S |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4700 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C18A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Brinkley, AR -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | , AR |
| Mariana, AR | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was transporting a television crew to several high school football games. He had removed the left rear door of the aircraft to facilitate aerial photography of the games. The helicopter was in cruise flight at approximately 500 feet agl when the pilot heard a loud bang and the aircraft made a right yaw. The pilot said that movement of the directional control pedals was ineffective. He made a run-on landing, but the helicopter impacted two levees separating the right skid from the aircraft. The aircraft rotated to the right and came to a stop upright. Postcrash examination revealed that the tail rotor drive shaft had separated near its mid point. One of the tail rotor blades had seven small indentations (similar to a zipper) on one eighth inch centers near the tip of the blade. He reported that the 'three outboard marks on the top of the blade also exhibited span-wise streaks with a brass like appearance, which may be transferred metal.' Tests by the aircraft's manufacturer revealed the material transferred to the tail rotor blade leading edge was brass. None of the passengers remembered losing any personal items during the flight.
Probable Cause: The in flight collision of the tail rotor blade with an object that had a brass zipper on it, and the subsequent overload and failure of the tail rotor drive shaft. Factors were the object with the brass zipper on it and the unsuitable terrain for the forced landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW97LA347
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Mar-2024 10:08 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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