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| Date: | Sunday 11 April 1982 |
| Time: | 15:15 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-4 |
| Owner/operator: | North American Corp |
| Registration: | N87623 |
| MSN: | 3140 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3140 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming VO-540 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | St Genevieve, MO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Jackson, MO |
| St Claire, MO | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT ABOUT 40 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, THERE WAS A DROP IN OIL PRESSURE FOLLOWED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BY AN ENGINE FAILURE. THE ENGINE FAILURE OCCURRED OVER A WOODED AREA. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A SMALL CLEARING, BUT THE HELICOPTER STRUCK TREES SHORT OF THE OPENING. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NO. 5 CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED AT THE CRANKSHAFT END. IT WAS NOTED THAT A ROD CAP BOLT HAD BROKEN, THE CAP HAD STRAIGHTENED OUT, AND THE ROD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT. A LARGE HOLE WAS FOUND IN THE CRANKCASE AND THE OIL TANK WAS EMPTY. HOWEVER, OIL WAS NOTED INSIDE THE ENGINE AND ON ALL BEARINGS AND JOURNALS EXCEPT THE NO. 5 CONNECTING ROD. ALSO, ALL MAIN BEARINGS AND ALL ROD BEARINGS AND JOURNALS, EXCEPT NO. 5, WERE NORMAL.
Probable Cause:
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB MKC82FCA08
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Apr-2024 13:30 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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