20010710017689A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Bell 206B · Teterboro, NJ · July 10, 2001

Date: July 10, 2001 · 06:30 local
Place: Teterboro, NJ
Airport: Teterboro
Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N3298G
NTSB investigation: NTSBNYC01LA168
Reported as: Bell 206B

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) Pilot had just completed spraying operation and was starting to climb out. Aircraft was at approximately 100 ft. altitude when pilot heard and felt loud bang and immediately noticed loss of tail rotor control effectiveness. Pilot then attempted to autorotate helicopter into open clearing just past tree line that he was overflying. Aircraft landed extremely hard driving landing gear up into fuselage fuel tank rupturing fuel cell. Aircraft landed in upright condition skids totally driven into lower belly area. Pilot was not injured on impact. Aircraft exhibited extensive structural damage to airframe and tail boom areas. Upon inspection of tail rotor drive shaft area, it was found that a AN174 bolt had backed out of the thomas coupling.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT HAD JUST COMPLETED SPRAYING OPERATION AND WAS STARTING TO CLIMB OUT. AIRCRAFT WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 100 FT. ALTITUDE WHEN PILOT HEARD AND FELT LOUD BANG AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR CONTROL EFFECTIVENESS. PILOT THEN ATTEMPTED TO AUTOROTATE HELICOPTER INTO OPEN CLEARING JUST PAST TREE LINE THAT HE WAS OVERFLYING. AIRCRAFT LANDED EXTREMELY HARD DRIVING LANDING GEAR UP INTO FUSELAGE FUEL TANK RUPTURING FUEL CELL. AIRCRAFT LANDED IN UPRIGHT CONDITION SKIDS TOTALLY DRIVEN INTO LOWER BELLY AREA. PILOT WAS NOT INJURED ON IMPACT. AIRCRAFT EXHIBITED EXTENSIVE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO AIRFRAME AND TAIL BOOM AREAS. UPON INSPECTION OF TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT AREA, IT WAS FOUND THAT A AN174 BOLT HAD BACKED OUT OF THE THOMAS COUPLING.

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 NYC01LA168Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportSecaucus, NJUnder torque of a Thomas coupling self-locking nut for undetermined reasons, which resulted in the loss of the corresponding retaining bolt, and subsequent separation of tail rotor drive shaft segments. A factor was the unsuitable terrain beneath the pilot…Jul 10, 2001 · Substantial damage