ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 174834
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| Date: | Tuesday 24 March 2015 |
| Time: | 17:30 |
| Type: |  Bell 206B JetRanger |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N43CM |
| MSN: | 2025 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6677 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce 250 C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Little Choptank, near James Island, MD -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Belmar, NJ (BLM) |
| Richmond, VA (RIC) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot reported that the helicopter was in cruise flight when he heard a "loud bang," which was followed by a partial loss of engine power. He performed an autorotation to shallow water near a shore, where the tailboom sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine, which included an engine operational check, revealed no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The loss of engine power that occurred during the accident flight could not be duplicated during a test run. Following the engine test run, the fuel control unit (FCU) was removed and tested separately. Tests revealed that the FCU operated erratically due to a bellow anomaly. However, because this condition was discovered only after the engine had successfully completed its test cell runs, a direct correlation could not be drawn between the condition of the FCU and the reported loss of engine power.
Probable Cause: A partial loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=43CM
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Mar-2015 19:49 | Aerossurance | Added |
| 26-Mar-2015 05:43 | Geno | Updated [Time, Operator, Source] |
| 22-Sep-2016 15:42 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 19-Aug-2017 13:53 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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