# Incident 20190413016879I: Md Helicopters Inc 500N, Santa Ana, CA, April 13, 2019

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 13, 2019, 17:17 local time
- Place: Santa Ana, CA
- Airport: John Wayne
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: GWBM
- Location: 33.7368° N, 117.8829° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Santa Ana, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7368&lon=-117.8829&mi=10
- Aircraft: N523HB, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N523HB) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: MD Helicopters 500N (registry code 3030001, https://openairdocs.org/model/md-helicopters-500n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C20R/2 (registry code 54185, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-250-c20r-2) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MD HELICOPTERS INC 500N
- Reported engine: ROLLS-ROYC 250-C20R/2
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190413016879I

## Narrative

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

PERFORMING RIGHT HAND ORBITS OVER A LOCATION PIC ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CAME OUT OF THE ORBIT AND FELT THE RIGHT ANTI-TORQUE PEDAL WAS STUCK.  IT WAS DIAGNOSED THE EMERGENCY CONDITION OF A STUCK RIGHT ANTI-TORQUE PEDAL.  ATTEMPT TO FREE THE PEDAL WITH HIS FOOT BUT IT WAS STUCK AND IT GAVE NO MOVEMENT.  IMMEDIATELY BEGAN EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND INCREASED HIS AIRSPEED ABOVE 60 KIAS.

HE THEN DECLARED HIS EMERGENCY TO THE SNA CONTROL TOWER.  THE TOWER ACKNOWLEDGED HIS EMERGENCY AND GAVE CLEARANCE TO LAND.  THE TOWER COMMUNICATED THE EMERGENCY TO THE APPROPRIATE RESOURCES THEN DEPLOYED.

PIC ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REVIEWED THE ON BOARD FLIGHT MANUAL SECTION 3-11 ?ANTI-TORQUE FAILURE-FIXED RIGHT THRUSTER? FOUND NO OTHER SOLUTION AND WOULD ATTEMPT A RUN ON LANDING ALONG RUNWAY 20 RIGHT AT SNA, WHICH THEY WERE GIVEN APPROVAL.

DURING THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT ?MINIMAL? WIND. BETWEEN THE TIME THEY DECLARED THEIR EMERGENCY AND WHEN THEY ADVISED THEY WERE ON FINAL APPROACH WAS APPROXIMATELY 6 MINUTES.  JUST PRIOR TO THE RUNWAY, THE HELICOPTER PITCH UP. PIC ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAID HE THEN FOUGHT WITH THE CONTROLS AND THE NEXT THING HE REMEMBERS WAS CUTTING THE THROTTLE AND LANDING IN THE GRASS OFF THE RUNWAY.

SERVICE DIFFICULTY REPORT CONTROL NUMBER 2019FA0000124 WAS FILED ON 4/16/2019 AT 1739.

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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