Accident Aérospatiale AS 355F N57901,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 43456
 
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Date:Wednesday 7 December 1983
Time:12:29
Type:Silhouette image of generic AS55 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Aérospatiale AS 355F
Owner/operator:Craig Huntington
Registration: N57901
MSN: 5103
Total airframe hrs:961 hours
Engine model:ALLISON 250-C20F
Fatalities:Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Black Mountain , NV -   United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature:Ambulance
Departure airport:Las Vegas, NV (NV53)
Destination airport:Needles, CA
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
THE HELICOPTER TOOKOFF ON AN AIR AMBULANCE FLT AT ABOUT 1219 PST. ACCORDING TO TOWER PERSONNEL, THE DEPARTURE APPEARED NORMAL. RADAR SERVICE WAS TERMINATED AT 1227 & THERE WAS NO FURTHER RADIO CONTACT WITH THE HELICOPTER. LATER, THE HELICOPTER WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD CRASH LANDED ON STEEP MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, ROLLED OVER & BURNED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED AN OPEN LOGBOOK ENTRY THAT THE #1 TORQUE TRANSMITTER WAS INOP. A PERSON NEAR THE DEPARTURE POINT NOTICED THE L ENG COWLING WAS LOOSE. A SHORT TIME LATER, A 3' X 4' PIECE OF ENG COWLING WAS OBSERVED TO FALL FROM THE HELICOPTER. THERE WAS NO INDICATION IN THE AIRCREW'S RADIO TRANSMISSIONS THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE COWLING PROBLEM. AN EXAM REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE COWLING STANDOUT TUBE FOR THE L ENG HAD RUBBED AGAINST THE FREE WHEELING TURBINE GOVERNOR CABLE. AEROSPATIALE PSNL SAID THIS COULD DECREASE FUEL FLOW TO THE L ENG; AT HI POWER, THE R ENG GOVERNOR WOULD THEN INCREASE ITS FUEL FLOW & EXCEED LIMITS UNLESS PLT COMPENSATED. R FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE WAS FOUND NEAR ITS CLOSED POSITION. CAUSE:

Sources:

NTSB: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001214X45311

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
24-Oct-2008 10:30 ASN archive Added
07-Feb-2009 10:30 harro Updated
21-Dec-2016 19:24 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]

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