ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 272961
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| Date: | Tuesday 2 July 2002 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Bell 206B |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-RFM |
| MSN: | 2890 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Open grass field south of Aberton -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | |
| Nature: | |
| Departure airport: | Harmony Gold Mine |
| Rand Refinery (Germiston) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot, accompanied by a passenger, and some valuable cargo was engaged in a commercial flight from the Harmony Gold Mine to Rand Refineries in Germiston, when they encountered a failure of the main drive shaft (located between the main rotor gearbox and the engine) assembly, while established in cruise flight. The pilot, who stated that the engine also failed shortly there after, elected to carry out an auto- rotational landing in an open field nearby. During touchdown on the uneven terrain one of the main rotor blades impacted the tail rotor drive shaft cowling as well as the tail rotor drive shaft. The necessary precautionary measures were taken due to the security risk and a serviceable helicopter was dispatched, the cargo was transferred and delivered. The wreckage was recovered by road to a maintenance facility where the damage and cause of the drive shaft failure were assessed. Nobody was injured in the accident. PROBABLE CAUSE: The fracture of the four fixation bolts could be attributed to the generation of excessive heat between the outer and inner coupling teeth mating faces, as a result of inadequate lubrication.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
S.A. CAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
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