20040202002579I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Hughes OH-6A · Yuma, AZ · February 2, 2004

Date: February 2, 2004 · 09:00 local
Place: Yuma, AZ
Phase of flight: Hovering
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N5473X
Reported as: Hughes OH6A
Reported engine: Allison 250C20B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,400 total5,100 in this make and model194 in the last 90 days

N5473XRegistration cancelled Feb 25, 2008 · Hughes OH-6AS/N 67-16012 Airframe modelHughes OH-6A

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) Upon returning to "jmar" the Yuma station, the pilot was flying normally @ 500' (AGL) then flared to a hover @ 50' (AGL). A loud "humming" noise could be heard as reported by the pilot, then a loud "bang". The pilot auto-rotated as best he could which resulted in a non-eventful landing other than the hi-speed shaft puncturing the firewall. The (lone) pilot was uninjured and there was no post-event fire.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) UPON RETURNING TO "JMAR" THE YUMA STATION, THE PILOT WAS FLYING NORMALLY @ 500' (AGL) THEN FLARED TO A HOVER @ 50' (AGL). A LOUD "HUMMING" NOISE COULD BE HEARD AS REPORTED BY THE PILOT, THEN A LOUD "BANG". THE PILOT AUTO-ROTATED AS BEST HE COULD WHICH RESULTED IN A NON-EVENTFUL LANDING OTHER THAN THE HI-SPEED SHAFT PUNCTURING THE FIREWALL. THE (LONE) PILOT WAS UNINJURED AND THERE WAS NO POST-EVENT FIRE.