ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 213577
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 5 February 2016 |
| Time: | 14:30 |
| Type: |  MD Helicopters MD 600N |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N745BW |
| MSN: | RN045 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4672 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-M47 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Ashland, OR -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Alturas, CA (KAAT) |
| Ashland, OR (S03) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot reported that, during a cross-country helicopter flight, the main rotor blades seemed minimally out of track. After departing on the last leg of the flight, he noticed a slight "hop" as he made an ascending 180° right turn, but later stated that he had experienced worse with gusting winds and door-off operations. In straight and level flight, the blade track appeared to be no different than on the previous legs. During the descent toward the destination, he noticed that the hop became more apparent when the blades were unloaded. Maintenance personnel subsequently found a crack in one main rotor blade from the trailing edge forward to the spar at a point midspan near the beginning of the trim tab.
Examination revealed a visible crack on the top skin, with an opposing crack on the bottom skin. The crack surfaces were flat and light grey with features indicative of fatigue cracking from the trailing edges of the upper and lower skins forward to an internal "C" channel. No gross mechanical damage was visible, and abrasions visible after stripping paint from the blade appeared to be too small to initiate the fatigue crack. The blade had been in service for about 2/3 of its service hour life and more than half of its cycle life at the time of discovery. The reason for crack initiation could not be determined.
Probable Cause: Fatigue cracking of a main rotor blade for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 12 October 2009 | N613BP | U.S. Department of Homeland Security | 0 | San Diego, CA | |
sub |
| Heavy landing | ||||||
| 20 July 2020 | N745BW | Brim Equipment Leasing Inc | 0 | near San Andreas, Calaveras County, CA | |
w/o |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Jul-2018 18:49 | 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