ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 279909
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| Date: | Sunday 23 January 2022 |
| Time: | 12:30 LT |
| Type: |  Bell UH-1E Iroquois |
| Owner/operator: | Marquis Aviation |
| Registration: | N333XL |
| MSN: | 154951 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1967 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9004 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming T53-L-11D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Gustine, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Los Banos Municipal Airport, CA (LSN/KLSN) |
| Gustine, CA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 23, 2022, about 1030 Pacific standard time, a Bell UH-1E, N333XL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Gustine, California. The pilot was not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight.
The pilot was conducting aerial spray applications of a chemical to a field. He had checked the oil quantity of the 90° gearbox during the preflight check but did not recall the quantity of oil at the time. The pilot had operated the helicopter for about 45 minutes and, while making a turn, lost control of the helicopter. The helicopter descended and impacted terrain.
Maintenance records revealed no anomalies. Postaccident examination of the 90° gearbox revealed severe damage to the internal components and no evidence of lubricating oil inside the housing. The pinion was severely deformed, which resulted in the loss of rotational drive to the tail rotor assembly and the subsequent loss of control.
Examination of the oil level sight glass revealed that the inside was covered with a material that did not allow for sufficient viewing of the oil level. It is likely that, when the pilot looked at the oil level sight glass during his preflight check, he interpreted what he saw as an adequate amount of oil.
Probable Cause: Failure of the 90° gearbox due to the lack of lubricating oil, which resulted in a loss of rotational drive to the tail rotor and a subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR22LA084
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104563
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Jul-2022 16:10 | AgOps | Added |
| 07-Aug-2023 09:03 | harro | Updated |
| 04-Feb-2024 19:05 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
| 04-Feb-2024 19:39 | ASN | Updated [Narrative] |
| 06-Feb-2024 19:14 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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