ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 30146
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| Date: | Wednesday 24 May 2000 |
| Time: | 10:25 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter AS 350B2 Ecureuil |
| Owner/operator: | Tex Air Helcopters, Inc. |
| Registration: | N350JG |
| MSN: | 3232 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1999 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 461 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca ARRIEL-1D1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Harry P Williams Memorial Airport, Patterson, Louisiana -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Morgan City, LA |
| EI 307B, GM (0000) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter was in level flight at 1,000 feet msl, when the pilot felt a thump and a yaw. He moved the anti-torque pedals; however, there was no "tail rotor response." A pilot from another helicopter confirmed that the tail rotor was still turning. The pilot reported that he reviewed the emergency procedure for tail rotor failure and flew the helicopter to a nearby airport. The pilot stated that he maintained about 70 knots indicated airspeed and pressed the "HYD" test button for 5 seconds, then returned it to the normal position, as called for in the procedure. The pilot also reported that at this time he turned off the warning horn which alerts the pilot of low main rotor rpm or loss of hydraulic pressure. He completed three shallow approaches to burn off fuel and to see how the helicopter would respond to control movements. While turning left to downwind, during the fourth go-around, the pilot was having trouble controlling the left yaw when he realized the helicopter's hydraulic system had failed. The pilot initiated an autorotation downwind and instructed the passenger to "pull the [fuel flow control] lever off." When the helicopter touched down, "it slid with a yaw left and flipped over coming to rest on its left side." Examination of the cockpit revealed that the console hydraulic test switch (located next to the horn switch) was pressed in (hydraulics off). According to the manufacturer, the hydraulic test switch cuts off hydraulic power; however, the pilot would not lose control assist until the accumulators were depleted. The horn switch was not pressed in (warning horn deactivated, for the horn to function, the switch has to be pressed in). Post accident testing of the hydraulic system revealed no anomalies. Examination of the tail rotor system revealed that the spider bearing inner race was cut through the rotating housing. Examination of the tail rotor spider revealed that the bearing seal exhibited heat damage, and the bearing would not rotate due to small pieces of cage material loose in between the inner and outer races. No evidence of lubrication was present on the race or balls.
Probable Cause: the failure of the tail rotor spider bearing, the pilot's failure to follow the proper emergency procedures as stated in the helicopter's checklist by not performing a run-on landing, and the inadvertent deactivation of the hydraulic system.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X21000&key=1
FAA register: 2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=350JG
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 26-Jun-2014 01:19 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 26-Jun-2014 01:20 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport] |
| 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 18:43 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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