What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On August 26, 2002, at 2035 EDT, a Eurocopter MBB-BK117, N528SF, registered to rocky mountain holdings LLC, experienced an in-flight engine fire and emergency landing on a road near Bradenton, Florida. The aircraft was on a part 135 air ambulance flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft sustained minor damage and the commercial rated pilot, flight nurse, and three passengers were not injured. The flight originated at naples, Florida on August 26, 2002 at 1950 hours. The pilot reported he had a loud explosion from the right side of the aircraft while in cruise flight and a simultaneous #2 engine fire light. He reported an indication of power loss in the #1 engine and the aircraft yawing several times from left to right. Engine fire procedures were executed. An autorotation landing was made at the intersection of I-275 and US41. The aircraft was shutdown and evacuated. The pilot extinguished the remaining fire prior to arrival of the fire department. The investigation disclosed failure of the #2 engine power turbine rotor blades. Half of one of the blades and a portion of another separated from the rotor assembly and exited through the tailpipe. The subsequent imbalance resulted in a fire that exited through the compressor inlet and through the turbine exhaust causing damage to the cowlings and engine compartment components. The fire was ingested by the #1 engine causing a power loss. The engine compartment design does not include a firewall between the engine compressor inlets to block the passage of flame from one inlet to the other.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON AUGUST 26, 2002, AT 2035 EDT, A EUROCOPTER MBB-BK117, N528SF, REGISTERED TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOLDINGS LLC, EXPERIENCED AN IN-FLIGHT ENGINE FIRE AND EMERGENCY LANDING ON A ROAD NEAR BRADENTON, FLORIDA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A PART 135 AIR AMBULANCE FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND THE COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT, FLIGHT NURSE, AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT NAPLES, FLORIDA ON AUGUST 26, 2002 AT 1950 HOURS. THE PILOT REPORTED HE HAD A LOUD EXPLOSION FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AND A SIMULTANEOUS #2 ENGINE FIRE LIGHT. HE REPORTED AN INDICATION OF POWER LOSS IN THE #1 ENGINE AND THE AIRCRAFT YAWING SEVERAL TIMES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. ENGINE FIRE PROCEDURES WERE EXECUTED. AN AUTOROTATION LANDING WAS MADE AT THE INTERSECTION OF I-275 AND US41. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SHUTDOWN AND EVACUATED. THE PILOT EXTINGUISHED THE REMAINING FIRE PRIOR TO ARRIVAL OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THE INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED FAILURE OF THE #2 ENGINE POWER TURBINE ROTOR BLADES. HALF OF ONE OF THE BLADES AND A PORTION OF ANOTHER SEPARATED FROM THE ROTOR ASSEMBLY AND EXITED THROUGH THE TAILPIPE. THE SUBSEQUENT IMBALANCE RESULTED IN A FIRE THAT EXITED THROUGH THE COMPRESSOR INLET AND THROUGH THE TURBINE EXHAUST CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE COWLINGS AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT COMPONENTS. THE FIRE WAS INGESTED BY THE #1 ENGINE CAUSING A POWER LOSS. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT DESIGN DOES NOT INCLUDE A FIREWALL BETWEEN THE ENGINE COMPRESSOR INLETS TO BLOCK THE PASSAGE OF FLAME FROM ONE INLET TO THE OTHER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.