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20131123025869I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Hughes 269C · Bakersfield, CA · November 23, 2013

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 23, 2013 · 13:50 local
Place
Bakersfield, CA
Airport
Meadows Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N368RW
Reported as
Hughes 269C
Reported engine
Lycoming HIO-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
N368RWRegistration cancelled May 1, 2020 · Hughes 269CS/N 800948 · Built 1980Airframe modelHughes 269CEngine modelLycoming HIO-360 seriesReciprocating

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.

The pilot reported to ATC that "on landing runway 30L a bolt that stabilizes the rotor blade was dislodged. When powering up the helicopter for departure, there was a vibration cause(d) by the rotor blade being out of balance from the loss of the bolt. The rotor blade sustained some damage, from being out of balance".

ATC reported that the pilot had been practicing auto-rotations.

A ramp inspection performed on the aircraft on 12-4-13 found that the tail rotor was damaged. Damage was to the tip of one rotor blade predominately on the leading edge and the blade showed buckleing at the mid point. The other blade was damaged on the tip toward the trailing edge. The tail skid or 'stinger' had fresh marks on the bottom side. All of these are consistant with rotor strike.

6-2-14 The owner stated that the aircraft had been taken by truck to a northern California repair station.

The director of maintenance at the repair facility reported that the damaged parts, including the tail rotor, tail boom, skids, and cross strut.

The owner said that these parts are so hard to find that he may just part out the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT REPORTED TO ATC THAT "ON LANDING RUNWAY 30L A BOLT THAT STABILIZES THE ROTOR BLADE WAS DISLODGED. WHEN POWERING UP THE HELICOPTER FOR DEPARTURE, THERE WAS A VIBRATION CAUSE(D) BY THE ROTOR BLADE BEING OUT OF BALANCE FROM THE LOSS OF THE BOLT. THE ROTOR BLADE SUSTAINED SOME DAMAGE, FROM BEING OUT OF BALANCE".

ATC REPORTED THAT THE PILOT HAD BEEN PRACTICING AUTO-ROTATIONS.

A RAMP INSPECTION PERFORMED ON THE AIRCRAFT ON 12-4-13 FOUND THAT THE TAIL ROTOR WAS DAMAGED. DAMAGE WAS TO THE TIP OF ONE ROTOR BLADE PREDOMINATELY ON THE LEADING EDGE AND THE BLADE SHOWED BUCKLEING AT THE MID POINT. THE OTHER BLADE WAS DAMAGED ON THE TIP TOWARD THE TRAILING EDGE. THE TAIL SKID OR 'STINGER' HAD FRESH MARKS ON THE BOTTOM SIDE. ALL OF THESE ARE CONSISTANT WITH ROTOR STRIKE.

6-2-14 THE OWNER STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN TAKEN BY TRUCK TO A NORTHERN CALIFORNIA REPAIR STATION.

THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE AT THE REPAIR FACILITY REPORTED THAT THE DAMAGED PARTS, INCLUDING THE TAIL ROTOR, TAIL BOOM, SKIDS, AND CROSS STRUT.

THE OWNER SAID THAT THESE PARTS ARE SO HARD TO FIND THAT HE MAY JUST PART OUT THE AIRCRAFT.