ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 30055
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| Date: | Saturday 19 August 2000 |
| Time: | 13:24 |
| Type: |  Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 |
| Owner/operator: | Floating Czech, Inc. |
| Registration: | N250AD |
| MSN: | 162 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1969 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4624 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C18B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Valparaiso, IN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Valparaiso, IN (VPZ) |
| Valparaiso, IN | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During cruise flight the main rotor mast fractured and the main rotor separated from the helicopter. Witnesses to the accident reported seeing the helicopter falling to the ground in multiple sections. The aft 7.5 feet of tailboom, including the tail rotor gearbox, was located 220 feet from the main wreckage. The main rotor hub and blades were located 146 feet from the main wreckage. The main rotor blades remained attached to the rotor hub assembly. The main rotor mast was fractured approximately 6 inches below the rotor hub assembly. The fracture was transverse to the longitudinal direction of the mast. The interior diameter of the main rotor mast was corroded and had several areas of surface pitting. According to the NTSB Materials Laboratory Factual Report, the main rotor mast contained a "flat" crack that contained crack arrest features indicative of fatigue cracking. The report states, "The crack arrest features in the flat fracture region emanated from corrosion pits on the inside diameter surface of the mast. The entire inside diameter surface had been affected by this corrosion in the area of the flat fracture region."
Probable Cause: The in-flight fracture of the main rotor mast and the separation of the main rotor. Factors to the accident were the corroded main rotor mast that resulted in fatigue.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X21660&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 12-Dec-2017 19:04 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Plane category] |
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