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| Date: | Thursday 11 January 2024 |
| Time: | 19:00 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B2 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) |
| Registration: | N204TX |
| MSN: | 3711 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2003 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Spofford, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Aerial patrol |
| Departure airport: | Del Rio International Airport, TX (DRT/KDRT) |
| Del Rio International Airport, TX (DRT/KDRT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 11, 2024, at 1900 central standard time, a Eurocopter AS 350 B2, N204TX, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Spofford, Texas. The pilot and copilot received minor injuries. The helicopter was operated as a public aircraft conducting an aerial observation flight.
The flight crew had competed their aerial observation and were enroute to the destination airport. While enroute, the pilot felt a violent yaw to the right, saw the engine low pressure annunciator illuminate, and heard the low rotor horn. After the engine lost power, the pilot transferred the flight controls to the copilot, who performed an autorotation and landed the helicopter in a brush-covered field.
Postaccident examination and testing of the engine revealed that the engine’s fuel control unit (FCU) control lever arm was broken. Metallurgical examination of the control lever arm revealed it had failed due to a fatigue fracture which resulted in a loss of fuel control to the engine and fuel starvation.
Probable Cause: The fatigue failure of the fuel control unit control lever arm, which resulted in fuel starvation, and a loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/dps-helicopter-damaged-in-crash-in-south-texas/3432710/
https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/texas-public-safety-police-helicopter-forced-to-land-during-border-patrol-police-operation-lonestar-dps-kinney-county-danger
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2024/01/11/exclusive-texas-dps-helicopter-crashes-while-tracking-migrants-near-border/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/texas-department-public-safety-helicopter-crashes-mexican-border-106319898
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193642
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N204TX
https://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/000/765/765316.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
#BREAKING: A Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter deployed to the southern border as part of Gov. Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star crashed late Thursday
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) January 12, 2024
Pilot and copilot were the only crew on board and were mildly injured
Photos shared by law enforcement pic.twitter.com/qanaJixRk1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Jan-2024 13:32 | harro | Added |
| 12-Jan-2024 13:34 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Embed code, ] |
| 12-Jan-2024 17:34 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 12-Jan-2024 18:34 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 13-Jan-2024 22:41 | RobertMB | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 29-Jan-2024 22:20 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 15-Feb-2025 06:12 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
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