What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) This was a dual instrument training flight operated in VMC conditions departing st. louis downtown airport (cps) enroute to st. louis regional airport (aln) to practice instrument approach procedures. The aircraft was in level cruise flight at 2500 MSL when it began to shudder. The crew heard a loud bang and experienced a nose-down pitching moment. The flight instructor then took the controls and initiated an auto-rotation and settled into a field. Upon flairing the aircraft the crew discovered they had no tailrotor control, the aircraft yawed 90 degrees to the left before touching down. No injuries occured and upon departing the aircraft the crewmembers noted that the fan and fan shroud were missing from the aircraft. The main rotor made contact with the tail boom approx. 18 inches from tail rotor. It was discovered the following morning that the tail rotor control rod was severed believed to occured when the fan assembly departed.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THIS WAS A DUAL INSTRUMENT TRAINING FLIGHT OPERATED IN VMC CONDITIONS DEPARTING ST. LOUIS DOWNTOWN AIRPORT (CPS) ENROUTE TO ST. LOUIS REGIONAL AIRPORT (ALN) TO PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN LEVEL CRUISE FLIGHT AT 2500 MSL WHEN IT BEGAN TO SHUDDER. THE CREW HEARD A LOUD BANG AND EXPERIENCED A NOSE-DOWN PITCHING MOMENT. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR THEN TOOK THE CONTROLS AND INITIATED AN AUTO-ROTATION AND SETTLED INTO A FIELD. UPON FLAIRING THE AIRCRAFT THE CREW DISCOVERED THEY HAD NO TAILROTOR CONTROL, THE AIRCRAFT YAWED 90 DEGREES TO THE LEFT BEFORE TOUCHING DOWN. NO INJURIES OCCURED AND UPON DEPARTING THE AIRCRAFT THE CREWMEMBERS NOTED THAT THE FAN AND FAN SHROUD WERE MISSING FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE MAIN ROTOR MADE CONTACT WITH THE TAIL BOOM APPROX. 18 INCHES FROM TAIL ROTOR. IT WAS DISCOVERED THE FOLLOWING MORNING THAT THE TAIL ROTOR CONTROL ROD WAS SEVERED BELIEVED TO OCCURED WHEN THE FAN ASSEMBLY DEPARTED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.