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20030822020929I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Bell 206B · San Diego, CA · August 22, 2003

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 22, 2003 · 10:30 local
Place
San Diego, CA
Airport
Montgomery Field Airport
Phase of flight
Sfl Autorotation
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
IVSA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N260RV
Reported as
Bell 206B
Pilot’s flight hours
15,000 total3,500 in this make and model6 in the last 90 days
N260RVRegistration cancelled Mar 6, 2008 · Bell 206BS/N 3379 · Built 1982Airframe modelBell 206BEngine modelAllison 250-C20 seriesTurbo-prop

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) On August 22, 2003, Mr. Art lawler and Mr. Jerome pendzick, were conducting events based currency (ebc) in accordance with FAA order 4040.9D in a Bell BHT-206-B helicopter. After about 30 minutes, Mr. Lawler, who was acting as pilot-in-command (PIC), returned to Montgomery field for traffic pattern and other emergency maneuvers practice. Several practice power recovery autorotation maneuvers to a hover were completed when Mr. Lawler commenced a full down autorotation (no power recovery) maneuver. According to Mr. Lawler at about 50 feet he began a flare in order to trade off airspeed for rate of descent. At 10-15 feet he applied initial collective to slow the descent rate. The landing initially occurred on the aft part of the skids and the aircraft rocked forward and then aft. After recovery, Mr. Lawler expressed concern about the possible damage to the transmission spike pin. Inspection of this pin revealed no apparent damage. However, further inspection revealed that the landing caused the main transmission drive shaft to flex down FAR enough to score the isolation mount. Inspection by corporate helicopter maintenance people confirmed this finding.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON AUGUST 22, 2003, MR. ART LAWLER AND MR. JEROME PENDZICK, WERE CONDUCTING EVENTS BASED CURRENCY (EBC) IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAA ORDER 4040.9D IN A BELL BHT-206-B HELICOPTER. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES, MR. LAWLER, WHO WAS ACTING AS PILOT-IN-COMMAND (PIC), RETURNED TO MONTGOMERY FIELD FOR TRAFFIC PATTERN AND OTHER EMERGENCY MANEUVERS PRACTICE. SEVERAL PRACTICE POWER RECOVERY AUTOROTATION MANEUVERS TO A HOVER WERE COMPLETED WHEN MR. LAWLER COMMENCED A FULL DOWN AUTOROTATION (NO POWER RECOVERY) MANEUVER. ACCORDING TO MR. LAWLER AT ABOUT 50 FEET HE BEGAN A FLARE IN ORDER TO TRADE OFF AIRSPEED FOR RATE OF DESCENT. AT 10-15 FEET HE APPLIED INITIAL COLLECTIVE TO SLOW THE DESCENT RATE. THE LANDING INITIALLY OCCURRED ON THE AFT PART OF THE SKIDS AND THE AIRCRAFT ROCKED FORWARD AND THEN AFT. AFTER RECOVERY, MR. LAWLER EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION SPIKE PIN. INSPECTION OF THIS PIN REVEALED NO APPARENT DAMAGE. HOWEVER, FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE LANDING CAUSED THE MAIN TRANSMISSION DRIVE SHAFT TO FLEX DOWN FAR ENOUGH TO SCORE THE ISOLATION MOUNT. INSPECTION BY CORPORATE HELICOPTER MAINTENANCE PEOPLE CONFIRMED THIS FINDING.