ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 357317
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| Date: | Friday 31 May 1996 |
| Time: | 11:30 LT |
| Type: |  Bell UH-1B |
| Owner/operator: | Colony Services Inc. |
| Registration: | N3880A |
| MSN: | 64-14073 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5307 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming T53L-11D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | West Palm Beach, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While refueling the helicopter the pilot and his crew saw smoke coming from the 'hell hole' on the bottom of the helicopter. They could not determine where the smoke was coming from, so the pilot elected to reposition the helicopter away from the fuel pad. After lift-off, there was a 'loud pop' and the helicopter immediately started rotating to the right. In an effort to avoid striking the fuel tank the pilot added power, and the wind carried the helicopter across the top of the tank. The spinning rotation increased, and after crossing the fuel tank the pilot reduced power. As the helicopter started to come around and get closer to the ground, it went backwards and struck a tree. After impact with the ground the helicopter rolled on its left side. Examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail rotor cable retaining pin came loose, and had rubbed against the tail rotor shaft, subsequently causing the drive shaft to fail.
Probable Cause: the failure of the tail rotor drive shaft which resulted in a loss of tail rotor control.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB MIA96LA144
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Mar-2024 16:34 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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