What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Refueling on a road. Lifted to clear road for traffic. Vibration caused loss of control. Suspect delaminataed rotor (.4)the pilot stated that he had lifted off from a road in open terrain so that a truck could get by. He stated that the lift-off was smooth. He noticed some shaking when he began forward flight. He increased the load on the rotor disk and the shaking became so violent that he couldn't see the ground. He dropped the collective and reached the ground. He said that the only way he could describe the situations was that 'it was like being in the spin cycle of a washing machine when all of the weight is on one side.' The helicopter had recently been imported to the us from Canada, and recertified with a us airworthiness certificate. The helicopter had been involved in a hard-landing accident in japan on June 10, 1994. Damage to the aircraft at that time included the left skid, deformation of the fuselage and twisting of the tail boom. All three main-rotor blades had terrain impact the helicopter was later exported from japan to Canada, where the importee stated that it was received in a repaired condition. No reference to the ac cident or its required repair was amde inthe canadia maintenance or journey logs. No record was found for accomplishment of an inspection, as outlined on the Enstrom maintenance manual, for main rotor blade strike or hard landing inspections. The safety board materials laboratory inspected fragments from the steel tube pylon assembly, consisting of pieces of steel tubing that are welded to each other to form a frame structure for the helicopter. The steel tubes provide reinforce,EMT for the four attachment points of the main transmission and other attachments points for the engine. Two of the steel tubes exhibited fatigue cracking, and completely separarted during operation of the helicopter. (-23)aircraft was being fueled in a remote area and a vechicle was approaching up the dirt road. Aircraft was blocking the vechicles way so aircraft was re-positioning itself when a service vibration occurred and control of the aircraft was impossible that eventually lead to the aircraft contacted the terrain and came to rest.
As the FAA filed it
REFUELING ON A ROAD. LIFTED TO CLEAR ROAD FOR TRAFFIC. VIBRATION CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL. SUSPECT DELAMINATAED ROTOR (.4)THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD LIFTED OFF FROM A ROAD IN OPEN TERRAIN SO THAT A TRUCK COULD GET BY. HE STATED THAT THE LIFT-OFF WAS SMOOTH. HE NOTICED SOME SHAKING WHEN HE BEGAN FORWARD FLIGHT. HE INCREASED THE LOAD ON THE ROTOR DISK AND THE SHAKING BECAME SO VIOLENT THAT HE COULDN'T SEE THE GROUND. HE DROPPED THE COLLECTIVE AND REACHED THE GROUND. HE SAID THAT THE ONLY WAY HE COULD DESCRIBE THE SITUATIONS WAS THAT 'IT WAS LIKE BEING IN THE SPIN CYCLE OF A WASHING MACHINE WHEN ALL OF THE WEIGHT IS ON ONE SIDE.' THE HELICOPTER HAD RECENTLY BEEN IMPORTED TO THE US FROM CANADA, AND RECERTIFIED WITH A US AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE. THE HELICOPTER HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN A HARD-LANDING ACCIDENT IN JAPAN ON JUNE 10, 1994. DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT AT THAT TIME INCLUDED THE LEFT SKID, DEFORMATION OF THE FUSELAGE AND TWISTING OF THE TAIL BOOM. ALL THREE MAIN-ROTOR BLADES HAD TERRAIN IMPACT THE HELICOPTER WAS LATER EXPORTED FROM JAPAN TO CANADA, WHERE THE IMPORTEE STATED THAT IT WAS RECEIVED IN A REPAIRED CONDITION. NO REFERENCE TO THE AC CIDENT OR ITS REQUIRED REPAIR WAS AMDE INTHE CANADIA MAINTENANCE OR JOURNEY LOGS. NO RECORD WAS FOUND FOR ACCOMPLISHMENT OF AN INSPECTION, AS OUTLINED ON THE ENSTROM MAINTENANCE MANUAL, FOR MAIN ROTOR BLADE STRIKE OR HARD LANDING INSPECTIONS. THE SAFETY BOARD MATERIALS LABORATORY INSPECTED FRAGMENTS FROM THE STEEL TUBE PYLON ASSEMBLY, CONSISTING OF PIECES OF STEEL TUBING THAT ARE WELDED TO EACH OTHER TO FORM A FRAME STRUCTURE FOR THE HELICOPTER. THE STEEL TUBES PROVIDE REINFORCE,EMT FOR THE FOUR ATTACHMENT POINTS OF THE MAIN TRANSMISSION AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS POINTS FOR THE ENGINE. TWO OF THE STEEL TUBES EXHIBITED FATIGUE CRACKING, AND COMPLETELY SEPARARTED DURING OPERATION OF THE HELICOPTER. (-23)AIRCRAFT WAS BEING FUELED IN A REMOTE AREA AND A VECHICLE WAS APPROACHING UP THE DIRT ROAD. AIRCRAFT WAS BLOCKING THE VECHICLES WAY SO AIRCRAFT WAS RE-POSITIONING ITSELF WHEN A SERVICE VIBRATION OCCURRED AND CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS IMPOSSIBLE THAT EVENTUALLY LEAD TO THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE TERRAIN AND CAME TO REST.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N171HH · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.