20220429008959I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell Textron Canada 505 · Cedar City, UT · April 29, 2022

Date: April 29, 2022 · 10:00 local
Place: Cedar City, UT
Airport: Cedar City Regional
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N505SU
Reported as: Bell Textron Canada 505
Reported engine: SAFRAN ARRIUS-2R
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 948 total

N505SURegistered now · Bell Textron Canada 505S/N 65302 · Built 2020 Airframe modelBell Textron Canada 505 Engine modelSafran ARRIUS-2RTurbo-shaft

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 departed Cedar City Regional Airport (cdc) for a local personal flight. Shortly after takeoff approximately five miles south of cdc, the measured gas temperature (mgt) started to rise. The pilot turned back toward cdc while mgt and turbine output temperature (tot) continued to rise. The pilot lowered the collective to reduce temperature, but this action did not stop the rising temperatures. The pilot reduced power, but oil temperature continued climbing into the red and the pilot could no longer maintain altitude. The pilot prepared to make a precautionary landing in an open field. At approximately 40 feet above ground level (AGL) engine power was lost and the pilot performed an auto-rotation to the ground. The aircraft had a hard landing. The skids were spread, and one main rotor blade contacted the tail rotor drive shaft cover, which contacted the tail rotor drive shaft. The crew and passengers were all uninjured. The aircraft received minor damage.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT DEPARTED CEDAR CITY REGIONAL AIRPORT (CDC) FOR A LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF APPROXIMATELY FIVE MILES SOUTH OF CDC, THE MEASURED GAS TEMPERATURE (MGT) STARTED TO RISE. THE PILOT TURNED BACK TOWARD CDC WHILE MGT AND TURBINE OUTPUT TEMPERATURE (TOT) CONTINUED TO RISE. THE PILOT LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE TO REDUCE TEMPERATURE, BUT THIS ACTION DID NOT STOP THE RISING TEMPERATURES. THE PILOT REDUCED POWER, BUT OIL TEMPERATURE CONTINUED CLIMBING INTO THE RED AND THE PILOT COULD NO LONGER MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THE PILOT PREPARED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING IN AN OPEN FIELD. AT APPROXIMATELY 40 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL) ENGINE POWER WAS LOST AND THE PILOT PERFORMED AN AUTO-ROTATION TO THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT HAD A HARD LANDING. THE SKIDS WERE SPREAD, AND ONE MAIN ROTOR BLADE CONTACTED THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT COVER, WHICH CONTACTED THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT. THE CREW AND PASSENGERS WERE ALL UNINJURED. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE.