20030410009879I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Snias AS350B2 · Wakeeney, KS · April 10, 2003

Date: April 10, 2003 · 13:30 local
Place: Wakeeney, KS
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: IJAA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N409EM
Reported as: Snias AS350B2
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,108 total215 in this make and model35 in the last 90 days

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) Prior to this flight, the pilot completed a preflight inspection and found all panels and latches closed. During a VFR, cross country flight, the pilot heard a noise and landed at the Wakeeney, KS airport to investigate. He found the right hand transmission cowling was missing from the aircraft. An inspection of the aircraft revealed slight damage to two main rotor sleeves and the tail rotor blades. A search was conducted for the missing cowling, but it was not found. Why the cowling came off could not be determined, but the pilot suspected a material failure around one of the latches.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT, THE PILOT COMPLETED A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION AND FOUND ALL PANELS AND LATCHES CLOSED. DURING A VFR, CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE PILOT HEARD A NOISE AND LANDED AT THE WAKEENEY, KS AIRPORT TO INVESTIGATE. HE FOUND THE RIGHT HAND TRANSMISSION COWLING WAS MISSING FROM THE AIRCRAFT. AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED SLIGHT DAMAGE TO TWO MAIN ROTOR SLEEVES AND THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES. A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED FOR THE MISSING COWLING, BUT IT WAS NOT FOUND. WHY THE COWLING CAME OFF COULD NOT BE DETERMINED, BUT THE PILOT SUSPECTED A MATERIAL FAILURE AROUND ONE OF THE LATCHES.