ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36072
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| Date: | Saturday 7 December 1991 |
| Time: | 01:15 LT |
| Type: |  Aérospatiale AS 350D Astar |
| Owner/operator: | Equipment Leasors Of Pa, Inc. |
| Registration: | N26FH |
| MSN: | 1331 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2716 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming LTS-101-600A2 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Fuquay-Varina, Wake County, North Carolina -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Wilmington, NC |
| Durham, NC (NONE) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE NEWS HELICOPTER WAS RETURNING FROM A REPORTING ASSIGNMENT AT NIGHT IN VMC CONDITIONS. THE SOLE SURVIVOR, A SPORTSCASTER, REPORTED THAT ABOUT 20 TO 25 MINUTES BEFORE THE CRASH, THE ENGINE CHIP LIGHT CAME ON. THE LIGHT CAME ON AND WAS RESET BY THE PILOT 5 TO 10 TIMES. THERE WAS ALSO A LOSS OF TORQUE ON THE TORQUE GAUGE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ENGINE LOST POWER & THE HELICOPTER CRASH LANDED IN AN OPEN FIELD. AN INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE #2 BEARING HAD SEIZED, RESULTING IN FAILURE OF THE COMPRESSOR SHAFT. THE #2 BEARING HAD BEEN REPLACED DURING RECENT ENGINE MAINTENANCE, AND THERE WAS ONLY ABOUT 125 HOURS ON THE NEW BEARING. THE OIL JET TO THE BEARING WAS NOT BLOCKED OR CLOGGED. THERE WERE TORQUE FLUCTUATIONS OBSERVED ON TWO OCCASIONS DURING THE WEEK BEFORE TO THE ACCIDENT. SEVERAL COMPONENTS WERE CHANGED IN AN ATTEMPT TO PINPOINT THE PROBLEM. THE SURVIVOR'S SEAT BELT FAILED IN THE CRASH DUE TO AN IMPROPER INSTALLATION, AND HE WAS THROWN CLEAR OF THE WRECKAGE.
Probable Cause: THE PILOT'S IMPROPER DECISION IN CONTINUING THE FLIGHT WITH A KNOWN ENGINE PROBLEM, AND THE SUBSEQUENT SEIZURE OF THE NUMBER TWO ENGINE BEARING, RESULTING IN ENGINE STOPPAGE. DARKNESS WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ATL92FA029
FAA register: 2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=26FH
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 01-Jul-2014 21:28 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:22 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 11-Apr-2024 11:01 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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