ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 354364
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| Date: | Saturday 6 June 1998 |
| Time: | 00:25 LT |
| Type: |  Aerospatiale AS 350BA |
| Owner/operator: | Jetcopters |
| Registration: | N31621 |
| MSN: | 2130 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1988 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1014 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca AERRIEL 1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Burbank, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Lake Arrowhead, CA |
| Van Nuys, CA (KVNY) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot felt a 'violent vibration' and the helicopter began to pitch and yaw. About 5 seconds after the vibration started, the tail rotor gearbox chip light became illuminated. The pilot made a normal approach to a rooftop parking structure and landed. The last 3 feet of the tail boom had separated 360 degrees in circumference. Examination of the tail rotor system revealed one pitch change link disconnected due to a fatigue fracture, which emanated from multiple origins at the inside diameter surface of the loop that is in contact with the bearing assembly. The scrim cloth for the bearing assembly raceway was missing, and the bearing outer raceway contained wear damage approximately 180 degrees around its circumference. A maximum of 0.008 inches of play is allowed in the radial direction between the ball and the pitch change link assembly; however, no limit is specified for the axial direction. The pilot reported that he completed a required daily inspection of the aircraft the day before the accident and observed no play in either tail rotor pitch link, nor did he see any cracks. He also reported that he performed a preflight before takeoff on the accident flight and did not note any discrepancies at that time.
Probable Cause: The separation of the tail rotor pitch link due to a fatigue fracture, which resulted in the separation of the tailboom.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX98LA184
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 30 December 2004 | N410JC | Jet Copters, Inc. | 1 | 1.8 nm W of Panamint Springs, Inyo County, CA | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Mar-2024 13:32 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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