ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 289450
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| Date: | Friday 25 March 2011 |
| Time: | 11:38 LT |
| Type: |  Hiller UH-12E |
| Owner/operator: | Kritter Cropdusting, Inc |
| Registration: | N4033P |
| MSN: | 5178 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3340 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming VO-540-C2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Culpeper, Virginia -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Culpeper, VA |
| Culpeper, VA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aerial application flight had departed and was enroute to apply agricultural product to a nearby field; the engine rpm increased uncommanded and the pilot performed a forced landing in an open field. The pilot reported that after the helicopter came to rest, he exited and put his hand on the transmission, which was hot. He then felt the transmission cooler, which he stated was similar in temperature to the surrounding air temperature. Seven days before the accident, a continued airworthiness inspection was performed on the helicopter; the main transmission gearbox oil was drained, and the main rotor transmission was removed to facilitate engine removal. Particulate matter may have been inadvertently left in or around the main rotor transmission during its removal. During the flight the particulate matter may have become lodged in one of the journals inside the transmission and caused its failure, which then allowed the engine to overspeed and the helicopter to lose lift. However, the investigation was not able to conclusively determine the cause of the failure because the transmission could not be secured for a teardown.
Probable Cause: Mechanical failure of the transmission for reasons that could not be determined because the transmission could not be torn down.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA11LA216
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 16 June 1984 | N4033P | G & G Ag Service, Inc. | 0 | Meadville, PA | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Oct-2022 13:54 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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