20010830025289I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell UH-1B · Gardiner, MT · August 30, 2001

Date: August 30, 2001 · 14:00 local
Place: Gardiner, MT
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
Operator: SCFL
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N842M
Reported as: Bell UH1B
Reported engine: Lycoming T53L13BA
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0

N842MRegistered now · Garlick Helicopters UH-1BS/N 61-0763 · Built 1961 Airframe modelGarlick Helicopters UH-1B Engine modelLycoming T53-L-13Turbo-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.

(-23) While flying fire suppression as public use, pilot heard a few "bam" sounds from engine are. Water had just been released from a sling bucket and pilot, tim lyons of river city helicopters, had a clearing in sight below the helicopter. Engine RPM was decreasing as autorotation from hover was performed. Engine tear-down by owner, garlick helicopters, revealed failure of the #1 g.p. rotor blades.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) WHILE FLYING FIRE SUPPRESSION AS PUBLIC USE, PILOT HEARD A FEW "BAM" SOUNDS FROM ENGINE ARE. WATER HAD JUST BEEN RELEASED FROM A SLING BUCKET AND PILOT, TIM LYONS OF RIVER CITY HELICOPTERS, HAD A CLEARING IN SIGHT BELOW THE HELICOPTER. ENGINE RPM WAS DECREASING AS AUTOROTATION FROM HOVER WAS PERFORMED. ENGINE TEAR-DOWN BY OWNER, GARLICK HELICOPTERS, REVEALED FAILURE OF THE #1 G.P. ROTOR BLADES.