# Accident 20001218026909A: Aerospatiale SA365N-1 DAUPHIN, Pittsburgh, PA, December 18, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 18, 2000, 15:30 local time
- Place: Pittsburgh, PA
- Airport: Allegheny County
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: BAQA
- Location: 40.3542° N, 79.9250° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.3542&lon=-79.9250&mi=10
- Aircraft: N89SM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N89SM-2001-05-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aerospatiale SA365N-1 DAUPHIN (registry code 8680668, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerospatiale-sa365n-1-dauphin) (OpenAirDocs)
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC01LA059](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC01LA059) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20001218026909A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON DECEMBER 18, 2000, PILOT HERBERT RISELY SCHUTT, JR., HOLDER OF CERTIFICATE NUMBER 77347940, WAS PILOT-IN-COMMAND OF N89SM, AN AEREOSPATIALE-DAUPHIN SA-365N-1 HELICOPTER THAT DEPARTED ALLEGHEY COUNTY AIRPORT, WEST MIFFLIN, PA (AGC). THIS FLIGHT WAS A MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT FOR MAIN ROTOR BALANCE AND TRACKING.  THE HELICOPTER CRAHSED AT APPROXIMATELY 15:30 LOCAL TIME WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND ON RUNWAY 23 WITH A PILOT REPORTED LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR CONTROL.  PILOT HERBERT RISLEY SCHUTT, JR. AND ONE MAINTENANCE PERSON, JAY MAINES, WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED AND A SECOND MAINTENANCE PERSON, AL LUNDY, HAD MINOR INJURIES.  ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION CONDUCTED ON DECEMBER 18 AND DECEMBER 19, 2000, BY THIS OFFICE, REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION.HELICOPTER M89SM HAD SUBSTANTIAL  DAMAGE DURING THE EMERGENCY LANDING.  THE TAIL ROTOR FENESTRON PITCH CHANGE SERVO ACTUATING ROD END WAS NOT ATTACHED TO THE OPERATING BELLCRANK.  THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX, AND TAIL ROTOR CONTROL PITCH CHANGE SERVO WERE RETAINED AND SHIPPED TO AMERICAN EUROCOPTER IN GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS.  A COMPLETE TEARDOWN ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED ON JANUARY 3, 2001, WITH NTSB AND/OR FAA IN ATTENDANCE.  A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATOR'S  STATEMENT WAS SENT TO THIS OFFICE FROM THE NTSB. THE REPORT INDICATES THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX INPUT DUPLEX BEARING FAILED, AND FURTHER EXAMINATION BY THE NTSB MATERIALS LABORATORY WILL BE CONDUCTED.  THE AIRCRAFT EVALUATION GROUP AND RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUALS AT AEA-FSDO-03 WERE NOTIFIED FO THIS FINDING.  ALL FAA RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THIS ACCIDENT HAVE AND WERE COMPLETED WITH SUBMISSION OF THIS REPORT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC01LA059](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC01LA059), Dec 18, 2000: Aerospatiale SA365-N1 (N89SM), West Mifflin, PA, destroyed. Probable cause: Insufficient lubrication within the tail rotor gearbox, which resulted in the seizure of the duplex ball bearing and a fixed pitch setting of the tail rotor. Also causal, was the pilot's loss of…

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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