20031211034219I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Scwzer 269D · Houston, TX · December 11, 2003

Date: December 11, 2003 · 16:55 local
Place: Houston, TX
Phase of flight: Aerial Taxi To Tkof/Rtrcrft
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N8375F
Reported as: Scwzer 269D
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,099 total196 in this make and model9 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) The pilot suffered an "unusual" in-flight vibration and performed a precautionary landing. A visual inspection of the aircraft drive system by the pilot and his observer revealed nothing out of the ordinary. The pilot initiated an engine start and full run up with no vibrations noted and all engine gauges operating in the normal range. The pilot brought the aircraft into a hover with subsequent motion into forward flight. The pilot heard a loud bang followed by a loss in power. An autorotation was performed with minimal damage occurring to the aircraft. Post examination of the aircraft revealed a failure of the engine driveshaft coupling.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT SUFFERED AN "UNUSUAL" IN-FLIGHT VIBRATION AND PERFORMED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT DRIVE SYSTEM BY THE PILOT AND HIS OBSERVER REVEALED NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. THE PILOT INITIATED AN ENGINE START AND FULL RUN UP WITH NO VIBRATIONS NOTED AND ALL ENGINE GAUGES OPERATING IN THE NORMAL RANGE. THE PILOT BROUGHT THE AIRCRAFT INTO A HOVER WITH SUBSEQUENT MOTION INTO FORWARD FLIGHT. THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD BANG FOLLOWED BY A LOSS IN POWER. AN AUTOROTATION WAS PERFORMED WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE OCCURRING TO THE AIRCRAFT. POST EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED A FAILURE OF THE ENGINE DRIVESHAFT COUPLING.