# Incident 19980713041999I: Hughes 369D, El Cajon, CA, July 13, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 13, 1998
- Place: El Cajon, CA
- Airport: Gillespie Field Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Ops On Grnd To Tkof/Rtrcrft
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: XARA
- Location: 32.8262° N, 116.9724° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at GILLESPIE FLD (SEE), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.8262&lon=-116.9724&mi=10
- Aircraft: N58377 (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: HUGHES 369D
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980713041999I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-5)DURING ENGINE RUNUP BEFORE COLLECTIVE WAS APPLIED, THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT BROKE APPROXIMATELY IN THE MIDDLE AND CAUSED THE TAIL BOOM TO SEPARATE FROM THE AIRCRAFT. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TEFLON SURFACES OF THE CONICAL BEARINGS FOR THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES HAD FAILED, OR WORN OUT, CAUSING EXCESSIVE PLAY AT THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES.  THIS IN TURN SET UP A VIBRATION IN THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVESHAFT CAUSING IT TO FLEX AND OSCILLATE.  EVENTUALLY, THE DRIVESHAFT FAILED.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.