# Incident 20000221002269I: Bell 230, Lubbock, TX, February 21, 2000

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 21, 2000, 16:00 local time
- Place: Lubbock, TX
- Airport: Lubbock International Airport
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.5779° N, 101.8552° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Lubbock, TX, within about 7 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.5779&lon=-101.8552&mi=10
- Aircraft: N230SL (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 230
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 11,500 total, 10 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000221002269I

## Narrative

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

(-23) DURING CLIMB OUT FROM LUBBOCK AIRPORT, THE PILOT FOUND THAT THE COLLECTIVE TRAVEL WAS LIMITED TO ABOUT 85% OR LESS. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND RETURNED TO LUBBOCK, LANDING WITH NO DAMAGES.  INSPECTION OF THE COLLECTIVE LINKAGES SHOWED THAT THE THREADED END OF A BOLT WAS LIMITING THE LINKAGE MOVEMENT IN THE COLLECTIVE.  THE BOLT WAS INSTALLED BACKWARDS.  THE PILOT HAD NOT NEEDED TO PULL MORE THAN 85% WHEN OPERATING AT LOWER ELEVATION AIRPORTS, BUT THE DENSITY ALTITUDE OF LUBBOCK (OVER 3800 FEET) REQUIRED MORE COLLECTIVE PITCH THAN THE LINKAGE JAM WOULD ALLOW.  DURING MODIFICATION AND OVERHAUL OF THE HELICOPTER, THE COLLECTIVE WAS DISASSEMBLED TO REPLACE WORN COMPONENTS.  DURING THE REASSEMBLY ONE OF THE BOLTS WAS PLACED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION CAUSING THE THREADED END OF THE BOLT TO LIMIT THE COLLECTIVE TRAVEL.  THE MAINTENANCE DIAGRAMS ARE COMPLEX, BUT DO SHOW THE CORRECT DIRECTION FOR THE BOLT TO BE INSTALLED.  THE BELL HELICOPTER SAFETY OFFICE WAS ADVISED AND THEY WILL EMPHASIZE IN THE MAINTENANCE MANUAL THE CORRECT PROCEDURE FOR REINSTALLATION.

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.

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