ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 133129
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| Date: | Thursday 12 January 1995 |
| Time: | 18:30 LT |
| Type: |  Hughes 269C |
| Owner/operator: | Usda - Aphis |
| Registration: | N796 |
| MSN: | 690804 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5683 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming HIO-360-D1A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Dumont, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
DURING WILD LIFE CONTROL ACTIVITIES THE HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AT 40 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO REGAIN POWER BY 'MILKING THE COLLECTIVE.' THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE WITHOUT FLARING. FOLLOWING THE INITIAL IMPACT THE HELICOPTER BOUNCED 13 FEET FORWARD AND ROLLED RIGHT. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE #3 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD CAP BOLTS HAD FRACTURED RESULTING IN A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE BEARING CAP AND PISTON. THE SAFETY BOARD'S METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE FRACTURE FEATURES AT THE CENTER OF EACH BOLT WERE THE RESULT OF OVERSTRESS SEPARATIONS. HOWEVER, THE FRACTURE FEATURES ADJACENT TO THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF EACH BOLT CONTAINED MECHANICAL DAMAGE THAT OBLITERATED THE ORIGINAL FRACTURE FEATURES.
Probable Cause: THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO OVERSTRESS FRACTURES OF THE #3 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD CAP BOLTS. THE ORIGIN OF THE FRACTURES COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW95GA090
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 12-Nov-2022 02:10 | Ron Averes | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 09-Apr-2024 17:02 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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