ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 259518
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| Date: | Sunday 9 May 2021 |
| Time: | 14:40 |
| Type: |  Enstrom F-28F Falcon |
| Owner/operator: | Talaheim Air Service LLC |
| Registration: | N8627J |
| MSN: | 760 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1989 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4650 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming HIO-360-F1AD |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Palmer, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Palmer, AK |
| Palmer, AK | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On May 9, 2021, about 1440 Alaska daylight time, an Enstrom F-28F, N8627J, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Palmer, Alaska. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 sightseeing tour flight.
During a helicopter tour flight, the clutch disengage light dimly illuminated, flickered, then fully illuminated. As the pilot began to descend for landing, he felt the belt clutch disengage, and the engine rpm separated from the transmission rpm indicating the helicopter had lost engine power to the rotor system. The pilot entered an autorotation and made a forced landing in a nearby open field. The helicopter touched down with a tailwind of about 13 mph, slid forward and nosed down. A main rotor blade impacted the ground in front of the helicopter followed by a main rotor blade impacting the tail section just forward of the stabilizers, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage.
A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed that the main belt drive tensioning system (belt clutch) inadvertently disengaged in flight. Testing found that the disengagement occurred due to inadequate clearance between the clutch handle and the roll pin in the handle bellcrank when the handle was in the stowed position.
As a result of this accident, the helicopter manufacturer issued a service bulletin that clarified the rigging requirements for the clutch handle and allowed for a minor modification to the handle to increase clearance between the handle and the roll pin in the bellcrank.
Probable Cause: A loss of drive to the rotor system due to the disengagement of the main belt drive tensioning system, which resulted in a forced landing. The disengagement was due to inadequate clearance between the clutch handle and the roll pin in the handle bellcrank when the handle was in the stowed position.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2021/05/10/sightseeing-tour-survive-helicopter-crash-in-palmer/
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/aviation/2021/05/10/sightseeing-helicopter-crashes-in-palmer-with-2-passengers-aboard/
NTSB
FAA
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumbertxt=8627J
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 14 November 1989 | N8627J | Barbara Ohliger | 0 | Wilmington, DE | |
sub |
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-May-2021 16:34 | gerard57 | Added |
| 10-May-2021 19:30 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-May-2021 19:40 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-May-2021 19:45 | RobertMB | Updated [Source] |
| 10-May-2021 19:57 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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