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| Date: | Saturday 9 November 2013 |
| Time: | 12:45 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter EC 135P1 |
| Owner/operator: | Metro Aviation Inc |
| Registration: | N911KB |
| MSN: | 0013 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1997 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9430 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W Canada PW206B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Metro Aviation Heliport (41LA), Shreveport, LA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Shreveport, LA |
| Shreveport, LA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter departed on a local maintenance test flight to perform a hover test. The pilot flew the helicopter toward a nearby field to perform the test and then heard a “pop,” and the helicopter subsequently began to spin. The pilot attempted to regain control of the helicopter using the antitorque pedals, but they were ineffective. The pilot reduced engine power and performed an autorotation to the field. The helicopter landed hard and rolled on its right side.
Examination of the wreckage found that the antitorque pedals had separated from the antitorque levers. The attachment hardware was not located in the wreckage or the surrounding area. Neither the antitorque pedals nor the lever attachment holes displayed elongation, which is consistent with the hardware bolts not being in place at the time of impact. A review of maintenance logbooks revealed that a mechanic had conducted maintenance on the antitorque pedals 9 days before the accident flight. After the accident, a parts bag containing bolts similar to the bolts needed to secure the antitorque pedals was found in the maintenance facility where the maintenance was performed. Based on the evidence, it is likely that the mechanic reinstalled the antitorque pedals without the required attachment hardware, which allowed the antitorque pedals to separate from the antitorque levers during flight and led to the loss of helicopter control.
Probable Cause: The mechanic's improper installation of the antitorque pedals, which resulted in an in-flight loss of helicopter control.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/mx-error-misassembly-ec135/
Location
Media:
#OTD in 2013: Commercial pressure, under-manning and a lack of independent inspections may have contributed to the omission of key components from the flying controls.https://t.co/pHkOp0PWGp #helicopter #accident #fliightsafety #aviatonsafety #aviationmaintenance #humanfactors pic.twitter.com/7Hcv6AQNNk
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) November 9, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Nov-2013 07:51 | ppick | Added |
| 10-Nov-2013 07:53 | harro | Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Embed code, ] |
| 10-Nov-2013 17:12 | Geno | Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code, ] |
| 14-Nov-2013 05:38 | Geno | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 27-Nov-2013 14:57 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Source, ] |
| 22-Nov-2015 20:12 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Nov-2015 22:57 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 29-Nov-2017 09:22 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 09-Nov-2020 07:45 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
| 09-Nov-2021 09:39 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, ] |
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