# Incident 20170228007779I: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1, Eagle Pass, TX, February 28, 2017 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: February 28, 2017, 19:55 local time - Place: Eagle Pass, TX - Airport: Ae057 Air Evac Base - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Approach - Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135) - Operator: EVCA - Location: 28.7011° N, 100.4762° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Eagle Pass, TX, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.7011&lon=-100.4762&mi=10 - Aircraft: N258AE, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N258AE) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 (registry code 1182107, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-helicopter-textron-206l-1) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Allison 250 SER 250HP (registry code 03002, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-ser-250hp) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON 206L-1 - Reported engine: ALLISON 250 SER 250HP - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170228007779I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON FEBRUARY 28, 2017 AT APPROXIMATELY 19:55 A BELL BHT-206-L1 HELICOPTER, N285AE OPERATED BY AIR EVAC INC. HAD A SMALL ELECTRICAL FIRE AND SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. LOCATION OF THE INCIDENT WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^., EAGLE PASS TEXAS, HELICOPTER PAD 56TE. THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING A NIGHT RECURRENCEY FLIGHT AND WAS ABLE TO LAND WITH NO OTHER INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS ON BOARD. WEATHER WAS VMC AND WAS NOT A FACTOR. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE BACK LIGHT ON THE TURN AND SLIP INDICATOR WAS INOPERATIVE, SO HE USED THE MAP LIGHT TO SEE THE INSTRUMENT. THE MAP LIGHT WIRING CONNECTOR P/N 01-0430011-00 AND 01-0410823-00 CAUGHT FIRE AS THE PILOT WAS GETTING READY TO LAND. THE PILOT PULLED THE CONNECTOR APART AND REPORTED THERE WAS SMOKE BUT HE WAS ABLE TO SEE TO LAND. ST. LOUIS FLIGHT STANDARD DISTRICT OFFICE (FSDO) WAS NOTIFIED ON MARCH 1, 2017 AT 13:00 OF THE INCIDENT. AIR EVAC INC. NOTIFIED NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB) ON MARCH 1, 2017. FAA INSPECTOR ON SITE MARCH 1, 2017 REPORTED THAT THE ONE OF THE PILOT?S AT THE EAGLE PASS BASE (NOT THE PILOT INVOLVED) STATED THAT ?THE CONNECTOR APPARENTLY CAME LOOSE AND CREATED AN ARC.? THIS ARC WAS THEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FIRE TO THE PLASTIC SHELL OF THE CONNECTOR. THERE WERE NO SERVICE DIFFICULTY REPORTS (SDR) OR NTSB REPORTS ON THE CONNECTOR. THERE ARE NO AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES RELATED TO THE MAP LIGHT. THIS MAP LIGHT WAS INSTALLED ON N258AE ON FAA 337 DATED 10-19-02012 BY AN REB TECHNOLOGIES (REB) STC SR09473RC. I RECEIVED THE MODIFICATION/INSTALLATION DRAWING 98020206-1032 REV B AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTINUED AIRWORTHINESS (ICA) 98020206-1 REV C FROM REB TECHNOLOGIES. A REPREHENSIVE FROM REB SENT ME THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT. ?THERE?S NO ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR INSTALLED BY REB FOR THE UTILITY LIGHT. IT?S JUST A SPLICE. ACCEPTABLE SPLICE METHODS ARE DEFINED IN THE BELL MAINTENANCE MANUAL. YOU CAN FIND THEM IN CHAPTER 4 OF THE ELECTRICAL STANDARD PRACTICES.? 3/27/2017 I CONTACTED AIR EVAC INC. FOR DOCUMENTED APPROVAL TO USE AMP CONNECTOR FOR INSTALLATION OF THE MAP LIGHT. AIR EVAC INC. REPLIED 3/28/2017: ?THE MATE-N-LOCK CONNECTOR IS REFERENCED IN AN AEL DRAWING AEL206-24-031. WHICH CALLS FOR DIFFERENT P/N CONNECTORS THEN THOSE USED IN THE MECHANICS SIGNOFF. HOWEVER, AIR EVAC HAS COMPLETED A COMPARISON AND THE 01-043-0011-00 (A441), 01-0410823-00 (A442) CONNECTORS ARE EQUAL TO THE SPECS OF THE CONNECTORS CALLED FOR IN THE DRAWING. AN SDR WAS COMPLETED FOR THIS EVENT. AIR EVAC HAS NOT HAD ANY OTHER FAILURES RELATED TO THE MAP LIGHT.? MAINTENANCE LOG BOOK FOR N285AE ON FEBRUARY 28, 2017 SHOW THAT THE TURN AND SLIP INDICATOR WAS PUT ON AIR EVAC INC. FAA APPROVED MINIMUM EQUIPMENT LIST (MEL). THE MAP LIGHT CONNECTOR WAS REPLACED WITH NO FAULTS NOTED. A TIE WRAP WAS ADDED TO THE INSTALLATION AS A PRECAUTION. SAFETY PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS SYSTEMS (SPAS) INDICATE THAT THE CERTIFICATED AIRMAN (PILOT AND MECHANIC) IDENTIFIED IN THE AIRCRAFT RECORDS ARE CURRENT AND HAVE NO PRIOR ENFORCEMENTS HISTORY. I INTERVIEWED THE MECHANIC THAT PERFORMED THE MAINTENANCE AFTER THE INCIDENT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. HE STATED THAT THE CONNECTOR WAS PULLED APART WHEN HE GOT TO THE AIRCRAFT. HE CHECKED THE WIRES AND THE PINS AND DID NOT SEE ANY BURNING MARKS ON THEM. HE REPLACED THE CONNECTOR AND TIE-WRAPPED IT TO MAKE SURE IT DIDN?T COME APART AGAIN. I ASKED HIM IF THE CONNECTOR ?SNAPPED? TOGETHER, HE REPLIED THAT IT DID NOT, IT WAS A PUSH TOGETHER CONNECTOR. I CALLED AMP (NOW TE CONNECTIVITY), THE MANUFACTURE OF THE CONNECTOR TO VERIFY IF THERE IS A LOCK ON THIS CONNECTOR AND ASKED THEM TO EXPLAIN TO ME. HE SAID IT WAS CALLED A DETENT OR FRICTION LOCK. THIS KIND OF CONNECTOR IS MADE TO TEMPORARILY KEEP ONE PART IN A CERTAIN POSITION RELATIVE TO ANOTHER, AND CAN BE RELEASED BY APPLYING FORCE TO ONE OF THE PARTS. ## Other reports on N258AE (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20140804015049I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140804015049I), Aug 4, 2014: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 (N258AE), Arley, AL, Minor damage. Pilot landed on scene to air evacuate injured patient while using nvg's. upon departure hover, pilot turn rotorcraft north. Aircraft tail rotor struck tree… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.