ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44727
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| Date: | Thursday 26 August 2004 |
| Time: | 07:01 |
| Type: |  Sikorsky S-64E (CH-54A) |
| Owner/operator: | Erickson Air-Crane, opf. Hélipaca |
| Registration: | N248AC |
| MSN: | 64-066 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1969 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Vix, Ventiseri, Haute-Corse 2B -
 France
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Bastia, Corsica |
| Bastia, Corsica | |
| Investigating agency: | BEA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, N248AC, crashed on a fire-fighting mission near Bastia, Corsica. An in-flight break-up occurred after a water-spreading mission. The aircraft impacted terrain and was destroyed. Both persons on board were fatally injured.
The ex CH-54A Tarhe/68-18461/US Army, named "Helitanker 735", had been leased to French operator Hélipaca and was being operated on behalf of the French Ministry of Interior.
Causes of the accident:
The accident was most likely caused by the in-flight failure of the black blade pitch control rod, which did not have the same mechanical characteristics as the others. The failure occurred in very few cycles, likely as a result of the high loads and stresses in turbulent air encountered during flight in mountainous areas.
After the connecting rod failed, the black blade interfered several times with the tail boom structure, resulting in the inevitable loss of control of the helicopter.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. http://www3.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20041028X01713&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 25-Dec-2009 10:18 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Narrative] |
| 19-Jun-2010 00:54 | TB | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Mar-2011 09:54 | TB | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Mar-2011 09:56 | TB | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 06-Mar-2020 11:47 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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