ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 386227
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 9 February 2001 |
| Time: | 20:00 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-3B1 |
| Owner/operator: | Sundown Helicopters, Inc. |
| Registration: | N3084G |
| MSN: | 2916 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6322 hours |
| Engine model: | Avco Lycoming TVO-435-B1A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Winterhaven, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Yuma, AZ (NONE) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was applying chemicals at night to a field of lettuce and had just taken off from his truck platform with 60 gallons of chemicals. He was about 20 feet above ground level and had a forward air speed of approximately 30 miles per hour when he heard a loud screeching sound, followed by a yaw to the left, a rapid decay of rotor rpm, and an increase/overspeed in engine rpm. The helicopter landed hard, collapsing the skids. Post accident examination of the transmission was conducted, revealing that the outer surface of the free wheeling unit of the inner gear assembly was worn below allowable limits at the roller/gear operating surface. The worn freewheeling inner ring gear allowed a mechanical disconnect between the engine output and the main rotor transmission, and resulted in a loss of main rotor speed and the subsequent hard landing.
Probable Cause: A failure of the transmission free wheeling unit due to improper maintenance. A factor was the dark night visual condition.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX01LA098
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 4 December 1998 | N3084G | Sundown Helicopters | 0 | Winterhaven, CA | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Apr-2024 12:32 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation