ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 272739
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| Date: | Monday 18 February 2008 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-RFL |
| MSN: | 0140 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1995 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Smutskuil, near Britstown, Northern Cape -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | |
| Nature: | |
| Departure airport: | Farm Smutskuil, near Britstown, Northern Cape |
| Farm Smutskuil, near Britstown, Northern Cape | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot, accompanied by a passenger, was engaged in a game-counting exercise. The pilot was flying at a height of approximately 100 ft above ground level (AGL), when they suddenly experienced a severe airframe vibration followed by an engine failure. The pilot attempted to execute an autorotational landing, but the helicopter landed hard, which resulted in the main rotor blades severing the tail boom. Nobody was injured in the accident. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to main rotor blades, the tail boom and tail rotor assembly. During the post-accident inspection of the helicopter, it was noted that the engine nacelle area was covered in engine oil. Following further investigation, it was found that there was a hole of substantial size in the top mid-section of the engine casing, indicative of an uncontained engine failure. The engine, a Lycoming O-540-F1B5, serial no. L-24792-40A was removed from the helicopter following the observation and was made available for an engine dismantle inspection at an approved engine overhaul facility. This was conducted in the presence of an SACAA Accident Investigator. The following statement was obtained from the licensed aircraft maintenance engineer who facilitated the dismantle inspection: 'It is my opinion that the small end side of the no. 2 conrod, which is not present due to severe crankcase damage, failed. Due to the fact that the failure of the no. 2 conrod had a secondary failure midway on the beam, my opinion is that the failure was most probably due to metal fatigue on the small end of the conrod, as it is the weakest area of the conrod, and during installation, bushes are to be press-fitted into the small ends.'? Following the absence of vital evidence, the accident scene area was searched for any possible missing evidence (such as the conrod small end) but to no avail. The engine was subjected to a 2 000-hour engine overhaul inspection as required by the engine manufacturer in August 2003. Following the overhaul inspection, the engine had been in operation for further 905.5 hours prior to the uncontained failure in question. The last mandatory periodic inspection (MPI) prior to the accident was certified on 1 February 2008, at 2 873 airframe hours. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had flown a further 32.5 hours since. According to available records, the aircraft maintenance organisation (AMO) that certified the last MPI on the aircraft prior to the accident was in possession of a valid AMO Approval, no. 846, with an expiry date of 29 January 2009.
Probable Cause The pilot executed a hard landing from a height of approximately 100 ft AGL, following an uncontained engine failure in flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
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Sources:
S.A. CAA
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 10 June 2011 | ZS-RFL | 0 | Mossel Bay Aerodrome | |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
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