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20001016018239A

Accident · No damage
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FAA accident report · Aerosp AS355F2 · Burlington, NC · October 16, 2000

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
October 16, 2000 · 23:55 local
Place
Burlington, NC
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
BAQA
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N355DU
NTSB investigation
NTSBMIA01FA006
Reported as
Aerosp AS355F2
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
N355DURegistration cancelled Mar 18, 2003 · Aerospatiale AS355F2 ECUREUILS/N 5489 · Built 1991Airframe modelAerospatiale AS355F2 ECUREUILEngine modelAllison 250-C20 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

(-23) The aircraft was on a part 91 maintenance ferry flight when it crashed about one minute after take-off. The pilot was fatally injured and the aircraft was destroyed. The pilot had reported a transmission oil pressure warning light had illuminated just prior to landing at the alamance regional medical center. A mechanic was dispatched to check the problem. The mechanic stated he checked the transmission for leaks and then disconnected the wire to the transmission oil pressure light. He never reconnected the light. Due to past problems with the pressure switch, the mechanic and pilot made a decision to ground run and hover the aircraft. If no abnormal vibrations or noises were heard or felt, the pilot would ferry the aircraft back to duke medical center. After fifteen or twenty minutes of run time, the pilot took of AD crashed one minute later. A postcrash examination of the helicopter showed the gears in the combiner gearbox had damage and the transmission oil pump drive shaft was separated near the midspan.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A PART 91 MAINTENANCE FERRY FLIGHT WHEN IT CRASHED ABOUT ONE MINUTE AFTER TAKE-OFF. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. THE PILOT HAD REPORTED A TRANSMISSION OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED JUST PRIOR TO LANDING AT THE ALAMANCE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER. A MECHANIC WAS DISPATCHED TO CHECK THE PROBLEM. THE MECHANIC STATED HE CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION FOR LEAKS AND THEN DISCONNECTED THE WIRE TO THE TRANSMISSION OIL PRESSURE LIGHT. HE NEVER RECONNECTED THE LIGHT. DUE TO PAST PROBLEMS WITH THE PRESSURE SWITCH, THE MECHANIC AND PILOT MADE A DECISION TO GROUND RUN AND HOVER THE AIRCRAFT. IF NO ABNORMAL VIBRATIONS OR NOISES WERE HEARD OR FELT, THE PILOT WOULD FERRY THE AIRCRAFT BACK TO DUKE MEDICAL CENTER. AFTER FIFTEEN OR TWENTY MINUTES OF RUN TIME, THE PILOT TOOK OF AD CRASHED ONE MINUTE LATER. A POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER SHOWED THE GEARS IN THE COMBINER GEARBOX HAD DAMAGE AND THE TRANSMISSION OIL PUMP DRIVE SHAFT WAS SEPARATED NEAR THE MIDSPAN.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB MIA01FA006Accident · 1 fatalField investigationFinal reportBurlington, NCThe mechanics failure to comply with manufacturers instructions for correction of a illuminated main rotor gearbox oil pressure warning light resulting in the helicopter being dispatched on a ferry flight with a failed main rotor gearbox oil pump, failure of…Oct 17, 2000 · Destroyed