ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 356232
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| Date: | Friday 21 February 1997 |
| Time: | 10:09 LT |
| Type: |  Hughes 369D |
| Owner/operator: | Manuiwa Airways |
| Registration: | N505RM |
| MSN: | 1080358D |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7974 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Milolii, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | , HI |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The purpose of the flight was to transport state employees to a nearby work site. The pilot took off, climbed to about 400 feet msl, and accelerated to 90 knots. The first minute of flight was routine, and the pilot did not indicate he was experiencing any malfunctions. Suddenly, a loud bang was heard which was followed by a slight shudder in the tail rotor pedals. A passenger reported observing pieces of the tail rotor blades flying past the left side of the helicopter. The pilot applied pressure to the tail rotor pedals, but no response was evident. The pilot autorotated to a landing on rough terrain covered with vegetation. The helicopter was recovered and examined. No evidence of mechanical problems was found. The tail rotor blade assembly was not located. Prior to the flight, the helicopter's doors had been removed. Also, 2 days earlier, company maintenance personnel had replaced one of the two tail rotor pitch change links due to excessive wear in its rod end bearing.
Probable Cause: failure of the tail rotor for undetermined reason(s), resulting in tail rotor imbalance, separation of the tail rotor, and an autorotative landing on rough terrain with high vegetation. The lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing was a related factor.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX97FA107
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Mar-2024 20:25 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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