20000320004029I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Bell UH-1B · Johnsville, AR · March 20, 2000

Date: March 20, 2000 · 12:00 local
Place: Johnsville, AR
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N63CD
Reported as: Bell UH1B
Reported engine: Lycoming T53*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 700 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N63CDRegistration cancelled Jun 14, 2013 · Bell UH-1BS/N 62-1980 · Built 1963 Airframe modelBell UH-1B Engine modelLycoming T-53 seriesTurbo-shaft

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.

On March 20, 2000 at approximately 1200 local time, N63CD, a Bell UH-1B, equipped with agriulture dispensing equipment, was relocating back to the re-fueling vechicle when the pilot became aware of a burning odor within the flight compartment. The odor was immediately followed by smoke in the flight deck area, immediately followed by an engine fire light. The pilot was forced to continue flight for approximately 1/4 mile where a suitable landing are was located. The pilot landed the aircraft with no damage and successfully extinguished the engine fire, assisted by the re-fuleing crew. The cause of the engine fire was determined to be a damaged exhaust pipe. The damage was caused by an internal engine part exiting the engine through the exhaust pipe, ripping a large hole in the exhaust pipe allowing engine to exit the hole, reulting in the engine fire. The aircraft was on a company flight plan. The weather was VFR.

As the FAA filed it

ON MARCH 20, 2000 AT APPROXIMATELY 1200 LOCAL TIME, N63CD, A BELL UH-1B, EQUIPPED WITH AGRIULTURE DISPENSING EQUIPMENT, WAS RELOCATING BACK TO THE RE-FUELING VECHICLE WHEN THE PILOT BECAME AWARE OF A BURNING ODOR WITHIN THE FLIGHT COMPARTMENT. THE ODOR WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY SMOKE IN THE FLIGHT DECK AREA, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY AN ENGINE FIRE LIGHT. THE PILOT WAS FORCED TO CONTINUE FLIGHT FOR APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE WHERE A SUITABLE LANDING ARE WAS LOCATED. THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO DAMAGE AND SUCCESSFULLY EXTINGUISHED THE ENGINE FIRE, ASSISTED BY THE RE-FULEING CREW. THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE FIRE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A DAMAGED EXHAUST PIPE. THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY AN INTERNAL ENGINE PART EXITING THE ENGINE THROUGH THE EXHAUST PIPE, RIPPING A LARGE HOLE IN THE EXHAUST PIPE ALLOWING ENGINE TO EXIT THE HOLE, REULTING IN THE ENGINE FIRE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A COMPANY FLIGHT PLAN. THE WEATHER WAS VFR.