ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 158281
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| Date: | Monday 12 August 2013 |
| Time: | 14:00 LT |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas MD 500E (369E) |
| Owner/operator: | PJ Helicopters |
| Registration: | N62JP |
| MSN: | 0535E |
| Year of manufacture: | 1997 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Calamity Butte, near Burns, OR -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | External load operation |
| Departure airport: | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
The aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas 369E, experienced a loss of engine power and force landed to a service road near Calamity Butte in Malheur National Forest, Oregon. The helicopter sustained substantial damage and the two occupants onboard were not injured. It was on contract to the Dept of Justice for the annual search for marijuana plantations in Eastern Oregon's Harney County.
The pilot reported that during cruise flight at an altitude about 400 feet above ground level over densely wooded mountainous terrain, he heard a "loud bang" originate from the engine followed by a left yaw and a "severe medium frequency vibration." The pilot performed a 180-degree left turn autorotation to a nearby forest service logging road. During the landing, the main rotor blades struck trees adjacent to the road, and the left skid slid into a ditch, which resulted in the helicopter rotating 90-degrees and subsequently the separation of the left skid.
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed that one 4th-stage turbine wheel blade had fractured at the blade root and that several additional turbine blades exhibited damage. Metallurgical examination of the fracture surface area revealed that it exhibited signatures consistent with low-cycle fatigue cracking that had progressed to high-cycle fatigue cracking, which led to the failure of the blade due to overload and resulted in the subsequent loss of engine power. Fluorescent penetrant inspection of the 4th-stage turbine wheel did not reveal any other cracks. In addition, the microstructure, hardness, and composition of the 4th-stage turbine wheel conformed to the engineering drawing requirements. A review of the maintenance logbooks revealed that the 4th-stage turbine wheel was part of a post-service bulletin (SB) commercial engine bulletin (CEB)-1365 or ”enhanced” power turbine assembly design. According to the engine manufacturer, the pattern and appearance of the fracture on the accident wheel was similar to fractures on the wheels involved in eight other failures of the post-SB CEB 1365 power turbine assembly design. Representatives from the engine manufacturer reported that the low-cycle fatigue crack was likely initiated by a combination of two factors: (1) a high, positive thermal gradient in the airfoil trailing edge material near the hub during the engine starting process; and (2) the subsequent high, negative thermal gradient and high-speed stress into the blade during transient operation, such as autorotation.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to the separation of one of the 4th-stage turbine wheel blades due to low-cycle fatigue cracking that had progressed to high-cycle fatigue cracking, which ultimately led to the overload failure of the blade.
Sources:
http://lawofficer.com/archive/helicopter-searching-for-pot-farms-over-oregon-crashes/ (photo)
http://desastresaereosnews.blogspot.com/2013/08/helicoptero-faz-pouso-de-emergencia-nos.html
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.asias.faa.gov/pls/apex/f?p=100:96:::::P96_ENTRY_DATE,P96_MAKE_NAME,P96_FATAL_FLG:13-AUG-13,MCDONNELL+DOUGLAS]
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N62PJ.html
NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Aug-2013 05:01 | Geno | Added |
| 25-Jun-2016 16:46 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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