What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
07/27/2019 Helicopter was inbound to the north run-up area. As the helicopter approached 50 foot AGL it rapidly climbed to 200 feet and then began to spin and descend. Substantial damage was done to the landing gear, tail, cockpit glass and the rudder.
The helicopter was returning from the lane county fair grounds to the Eugene airport (keug). The aircraft was on static display during the day at the county fair. The pilots departed the fairgrounds around 2210 for the short flight back to the sheriff?s hangar at the Eugene airport. The departure and enroute phases were uneventful. The weather was good VMC. The pilots approached the airport from the southeast. A wind check from the tower indicated about a 10-KT. Breeze at 340 degrees. Once over the north ramp, the pilot flying turned the aircraft to the north into the wind. Up to this point the pilots reported that the flight was, ?quite routine?. The pilots saw, felt or heard nothing to indicate a problem until the aircraft suddenly yawed to the right and begin a spin in that direction. The pilot flying then said, ?we have a problem.? The pilots believed that they had incurred a loss of tail rotor thrust due to a mechanical failure. The helicopter came to rest upright on the skids with the engine running. The pilot flying turned off the electronics, the battery master and shut down the engine. Both pilots were able to exit the helicopter after the main rotors stopped. The impact was significant and both pilots sustained back injuries that required hospitalization.
07/30/2019 Upon inspection of the helicopter by aviation safety inspectors from the pdx FSDO substantial strike damage to the tail rotor blades was found. There is catastrophic failure of the drive shaft. No visible damage to the main rotor system. There is tail boom damage mid span consistent with the location of the drive shaft failure. The separation of the drive shaft is a foot aft of the tail boom damage. The landing gear damage and the tail rotor stinger damage is consistent with a vertical impact. Two adjacent divots in the asphalt are symmetrical and consistent with high-speed rotational force. The scaring on the asphalt where the aircraft fuselage came to rest is consistent with a vertical impact. This is determined because the three flight controls had continuity; the cyclic pith control (stick), the collective pitch, and anti-torque peddles. The tail rotor gearbox was free to rotate in both directions.
10/03/2019 Further examination by NTSB aviation accident investigators found a few fractures that have been sent into the laboratory for further examination. One fracture was the transmission drive from the engine, and the other was a fracture in the tail rotor driveshaft.
As the FAA filed it
07/27/2019 HELICOPTER WAS INBOUND TO THE NORTH RUN-UP AREA. AS THE HELICOPTER APPROACHED 50 FOOT AGL IT RAPIDLY CLIMBED TO 200 FEET AND THEN BEGAN TO SPIN AND DESCEND. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE LANDING GEAR, TAIL, COCKPIT GLASS AND THE RUDDER.
THE HELICOPTER WAS RETURNING FROM THE LANE COUNTY FAIR GROUNDS TO THE EUGENE AIRPORT (KEUG). THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON STATIC DISPLAY DURING THE DAY AT THE COUNTY FAIR. THE PILOTS DEPARTED THE FAIRGROUNDS AROUND 2210 FOR THE SHORT FLIGHT BACK TO THE SHERIFF?S HANGAR AT THE EUGENE AIRPORT. THE DEPARTURE AND ENROUTE PHASES WERE UNEVENTFUL. THE WEATHER WAS GOOD VMC. THE PILOTS APPROACHED THE AIRPORT FROM THE SOUTHEAST. A WIND CHECK FROM THE TOWER INDICATED ABOUT A 10-KT. BREEZE AT 340 DEGREES. ONCE OVER THE NORTH RAMP, THE PILOT FLYING TURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE NORTH INTO THE WIND. UP TO THIS POINT THE PILOTS REPORTED THAT THE FLIGHT WAS, ?QUITE ROUTINE?. THE PILOTS SAW, FELT OR HEARD NOTHING TO INDICATE A PROBLEM UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT SUDDENLY YAWED TO THE RIGHT AND BEGIN A SPIN IN THAT DIRECTION. THE PILOT FLYING THEN SAID, ?WE HAVE A PROBLEM.? THE PILOTS BELIEVED THAT THEY HAD INCURRED A LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR THRUST DUE TO A MECHANICAL FAILURE. THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST UPRIGHT ON THE SKIDS WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. THE PILOT FLYING TURNED OFF THE ELECTRONICS, THE BATTERY MASTER AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. BOTH PILOTS WERE ABLE TO EXIT THE HELICOPTER AFTER THE MAIN ROTORS STOPPED. THE IMPACT WAS SIGNIFICANT AND BOTH PILOTS SUSTAINED BACK INJURIES THAT REQUIRED HOSPITALIZATION.
07/30/2019 UPON INSPECTION OF THE HELICOPTER BY AVIATION SAFETY INSPECTORS FROM THE PDX FSDO SUBSTANTIAL STRIKE DAMAGE TO THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES WAS FOUND. THERE IS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE DRIVE SHAFT. NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM. THERE IS TAIL BOOM DAMAGE MID SPAN CONSISTENT WITH THE LOCATION OF THE DRIVE SHAFT FAILURE. THE SEPARATION OF THE DRIVE SHAFT IS A FOOT AFT OF THE TAIL BOOM DAMAGE. THE LANDING GEAR DAMAGE AND THE TAIL ROTOR STINGER DAMAGE IS CONSISTENT WITH A VERTICAL IMPACT. TWO ADJACENT DIVOTS IN THE ASPHALT ARE SYMMETRICAL AND CONSISTENT WITH HIGH-SPEED ROTATIONAL FORCE. THE SCARING ON THE ASPHALT WHERE THE AIRCRAFT FUSELAGE CAME TO REST IS CONSISTENT WITH A VERTICAL IMPACT. THIS IS DETERMINED BECAUSE THE THREE FLIGHT CONTROLS HAD CONTINUITY; THE CYCLIC PITH CONTROL (STICK), THE COLLECTIVE PITCH, AND ANTI-TORQUE PEDDLES. THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX WAS FREE TO ROTATE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.
10/03/2019 FURTHER EXAMINATION BY NTSB AVIATION ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS FOUND A FEW FRACTURES THAT HAVE BEEN SENT INTO THE LABORATORY FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. ONE FRACTURE WAS THE TRANSMISSION DRIVE FROM THE ENGINE, AND THE OTHER WAS A FRACTURE IN THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVESHAFT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N438RC · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.