ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 42720
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| Date: | Friday 21 August 1987 |
| Time: | 07:36 |
| Type: |  Bell 206B JetRanger |
| Owner/operator: | Stuart Aviation |
| Registration: | N83080 |
| MSN: | 900 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1972 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3421 hours |
| Engine model: | ALLISON 250-C20 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Washington, DC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Washington, DC (DCA) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
THE HELICOPTER WAS ON A LCL PHOTOGRAPHY (SIGHT-SEEING) flight. WHILE HOVERING AT APRX 200' ABV THE POTOMAC RIVER, THE ENG LOST PWR. THE PLT INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION & DEPLOYED THE EMERG FLOATS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED IN THE RIVER & ROLLED over , BUT WAS SUPPORTED (UPSIDE DOWN) IN THE WATER BY THE FLOATS. AFTER RECOVERY, NO PREIMPACT PART FAIL- URE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRFRAME WAS FND. HOWEVER, A TEARDOWN OF THE ENG REVEALED THE SPUR ADAPTER GEARSHAFT (SAG), PN 6890482, HAD FAILED FROM WEAR & SUBSEQUENT FATIGUE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT THE FWD, SPLINED END OF THE SAG. DEBRIS (82% SILICON) WAS FND INSIDE THE OIL DELIVERY TUBE. THE OIL JETS FOR THE #2 & #3 BRGS WERE OBSTRUCTED, BUT THE JET FOR SAG WAS NOT OBSTRUCTED. THE PRECISE NATURE OF THE CONDS & CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LED TO EXCESSIVE WEAR WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE HEIGHT/VELOCITY DIAGRAM IN THE FLT MANUAL SHOWED HOVERING FLT BTN 10 & 400 FT SHOULD BE AVOIDED (TO ALLOW FOR SUCCESSFUL AUTOROTATIVE LNDG IN THE EVENT OF A PWR LOSS). Photographer William Weems (44) killed. Pilot jumped from the helicopter before impact.
Sources:
http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001213X31729
Hamburger Abendblatt 22.08.1987, p32
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 05-Apr-2013 16:32 | TB | Updated [Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
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