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| Date: | Saturday 6 September 1986 |
| Time: | 18:30 LT |
| Type: |  Hiller FH-1100 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N5068F |
| MSN: | 227 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2530 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C18 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Abilene, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | (AB1) |
| (AB1) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE PLT WAS CONDUCTING SIGHT-SEEING FLTS FROM A RODEO/FAIRGROUND AREA. DURING A CRITICAL PART OF A TAKEOFF, A TAIL ROTOR BLADE SEPARATED & THE PLT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. HE ATTEMPTED AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING. AFTER SPINNING AROUND ABOUT 3 TIMES, THE PLT PULLED FULL COLLECTIVE, JUST BEFORE THE HELICOPTER CRASHED, BUT IT WAS STILL BADLY DAMAGED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A TAIL ROTOR TENSION-TORSION (T-T) BAR ASSEMBLY, PN 24-55106, HAD FAILED WHERE THE ATTACHMENT BOLT GOES THRU THE T-T STRAPS. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED CHLORINE RICH DEPOSITS IN THE FRACTURE AREA. THE GREASE FROM THE T-T BAR CAVITY HAD DARKENED & THE CAVITY FOR THE OTHER SET OF T-T STRAPS CONTAINED A SMALL AMOUNT OF FLUID WITH AN UNPLEASANT ODOR. AN ANALYSIS OF THE GREASE REVEALED EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF CHLORINE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT WATER & CHLORINE CONTAMINATION HAD RESULTED IN STRESS CORROSION & EVENTUAL FAILURE OF THE T-T BAR ASSEMBLY.
Probable Cause:
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW86LA164
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Mar-2024 07:34 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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