ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36706
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| Date: | Saturday 10 May 1997 |
| Time: | 16:20 LT |
| Type: |  Hughes 369D |
| Owner/operator: | Kaohukaukuahiwi K. Sproat |
| Registration: | N5105N |
| MSN: | 911055D |
| Year of manufacture: | 1982 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3800 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Puako, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Mano Point, HI |
| Waimea-kohala, HI | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter was cruising at low level when the engine failed. The pilot turned toward a landing area and entered an autorotation with a quartering tailwind. During the autorotation, the helicopter continued to descend, remaining in a nose low attitude, until striking the ground. Impact occurred on up sloping terrain, and the helicopter was damaged. A computation of the weight and balance revealed the helicopter's moment arm exceeded the forward CG limit by about one inch, and limited aft cyclic control. An examination of the engine revealed that a stator vane had failed due to excessive erosion and fatigue cracking. The condition had not been detected during a compressor case erosion inspection, 60 flight hours before the accident.
Probable Cause: erosion of second stage stator vanes, inadequate maintenance inspection for the erosion, and subsequent fatigue failure of a stator vane, which resulted in loss of engine power and a forced landing on mountainous/hilly terrain. Also causal was: the pilot's loading of the aircraft in such a manner that exceeded the forward CG limit, which resulted in his failure (or inability) to properly flare the helicopter during a forced autorotation and landing. The rising terrain and tailwind condition for landing were related factors.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX97LA176
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Apr-2024 15:31 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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