ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 296113
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| Date: | Sunday 16 March 2003 |
| Time: | 20:15 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 430 |
| Owner/operator: | Cj System Aviation Group |
| Registration: | N431UM |
| MSN: | 49040 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1929 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce 250-C40 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Highland, Michigan -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Ann Arbor, MI (MI32) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter was substantially damaged when the tail rotor impacted a roadway sign while repositioning at night for departure. The medical evacuation flight had landed on a roadway to pick-up a patient. The medical crew had departed the helicopter prior to the reposition. The pilot was the only occupant on-board at the time. The pilot reported he began to taxi. He stated he "cleared the tail to move left into the turn around along M-59. I started to move the aircraft which now was facing south into M-59 ... when the tail rotor hit a steel reflector post. The aircraft became airborne to around five or six feet when I lowered the collective and rolled the throttles to idle to stop the aircraft rotation." The aircraft impacted on the left rear skid first and came to rest one-hundred eightly degrees from its initial heading. A post-accident examination revealed the tail rotor and gearbox had departed the helicopter. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter prior to the accident.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance to the roadway sign. Contributing factors were the failure of the tail rotor gearbox, the roadway sign and the low lighting conditions (night).
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CHI03LA084
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Oct-2022 16:42 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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