# Accident 20130921020369A: Bell UH-1V, Cordes Lakes, AZ, September 21, 2013

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 21, 2013, 11:50 local time
- Place: Cordes Lakes, AZ
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.3953° N, 112.0469° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.3953&lon=-112.0469&mi=10
- Aircraft: N22490, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N22490-2018-03-01) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell UH-1V (registry code 1181424, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-uh-1v) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming T53-L-13 (registry code 41551, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-t53-l-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL UH-1V
- Reported engine: LYCOMING T53-L-13
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,856 total, 31 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR13FA417](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13FA417) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130921020369A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2013, ABOUT 1150 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A BELL UH-1V HELICOPTER, N22490, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND NEAR CORDES LAKES, ARIZONA FOLLOWING THE IN-FLIGHT SEPARATION OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE ASSEMBLY. THE OWNER/PILOT AND THE NON-PILOT RATED PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FAA FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE FLIGHT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR13FA417](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13FA417), Sep 21, 2013: Bell UH-1V (N22490), Cordes Lakes, AZ, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's improper maintenance on the helicopter’s main rotor blade pitch control system, which resulted in an in-flight loss of main rotor blade pitch control, mast bumping, and mast failure.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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