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| Date: | Friday 29 December 1989 |
| Time: | 11:30 |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas MD 500E (369E) |
| Owner/operator: | Interwest |
| Registration: | N1604L |
| MSN: | 0266E |
| Total airframe hrs: | 367 hours |
| Engine model: | ALLISON 250-C20 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 5 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Santa Rosa, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | (STS) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE PILOT EXECUTED AN IMMEDIATE LEFT DOWNWIND CLIMBING TURN WHEN HE DEPARTED THE HELIPAD AND EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS. BEFORE DEPARTING, THE PILOT FAILED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE DOWNWIND TURN AND THE HELICOPTER'S EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT. THE POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THE LATERAL TRIM MOTOR EXCEEDED ITS PHYSICAL EXTENSION LIMITS WHICH INDICATES THAT THE TRIM MOTOR WAS OPERATING DURING THE IMPACT SEQUENCE WHEN ITS AIRFRAME ATTACHMENT POINT WAS BROKEN. CAUSE: THE PILOT'S IMPROPER PREFLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT ALLOWING THE MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT TO BE EXCEEDED, AND THE TAILWIND.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X29968
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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