19970622041849I

Incident

FAA incident report · Snias AS350B2 · Sabine Pass, TX · June 22, 1997

Date: June 22, 1997 · 07:40 local
Place: Sabine Pass, TX
Airport: Petroleum Helicopters Inc Heli
Phase of flight: Hovering
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft: N350BZ
Reported as: Snias AS350B2
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 8,141 total1,031 in this make and model73 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the pilot was performing an operational flight check for the installation of the left cyclic servo when the incident occurred. The pilot stated that immediately after coming to a hover, the aircraft wanted to roll to the right and required full left cyclic control input to maintain control of the aircraft. The pilot was able to land the helicopter without causing damage. Subsequent investigation revealed that the newly installed left cyclic control servo had an incorrect bell crank lever installed. The bell crank lever for the collective servo had apparently been incorrectly installed on the cyclic servo.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING AN OPERATIONAL FLIGHT CHECK FOR THE INSTALLATION OF THE LEFT CYCLIC SERVO WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE PILOT STATED THAT IMMEDIATELY AFTER COMING TO A HOVER, THE AIRCRAFT WANTED TO ROLL TO THE RIGHT AND REQUIRED FULL LEFT CYCLIC CONTROL INPUT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO LAND THE HELICOPTER WITHOUT CAUSING DAMAGE. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NEWLY INSTALLED LEFT CYCLIC CONTROL SERVO HAD AN INCORRECT BELL CRANK LEVER INSTALLED. THE BELL CRANK LEVER FOR THE COLLECTIVE SERVO HAD APPARENTLY BEEN INCORRECTLY INSTALLED ON THE CYCLIC SERVO.