ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 352581
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| Date: | Wednesday 27 October 1999 |
| Time: | 15:38 LT |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS-350-BA |
| Owner/operator: | Executive Helicopter Services |
| Registration: | N350SL |
| MSN: | 2782 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2085 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca ARRIEL 1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Westbury, NY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Farmingdale, NY (FRG |
| New York, NY (6N5) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While in cruise flight, the pilot detected a severe vibration and initially elected to return to his departure airport, and then elected to perform a precautionary landing. When the pilot brought the helicopter to a hover, the helicopter rotated nose left. The pilot then landed, shut down the engine, and noticed the tail rotor gear box and vertical fin had separated from the helicopter. One of the tail rotor pitch link control rods was found to have failed. Metallurgical examination of the failed components, found evidence of fatigue on the failed tail rotor pitch link control rod. The manufacturer specified an after last flight of the day (ALF) inspection, as a detailed inspection of the helicopter that could be performed by pilots or maintenance personnel. The Director of Maintenance for the operator reported pilots were responsible for all daily checks. The pilot had not been trained to conduct this inspection, and the FAA check airman who conducted the pilot's initial FAR 135 checkride was not aware of the specifics of the ALF inspection. In addition, the checklist found in the helicopter had not been updated with the latest, more detailed ALF inspection.
Probable Cause: the failure of the operator to ensure the pilot was adequately trained to conduct all inspections required by the flight manual, which resulted in the pilot's inadequate preflight and subsequent failure of the tail rotor pitch change rod. Factors were the inadequate preflight by the pilot, and the failure of the FAA to detect the deficiency in the pilot's training, and ensure that the operator used the most current checklist available.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB NYC00LA021
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Mar-2024 08:25 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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