- Date
- June 12, 1984, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N58116Bell 205A-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19840612024259A
- Case key
- 4303
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt had just picked up an external 'sling' load of 2700 lbs of back-fill in a cement bucket. At 900 ft AGL the acft started a vertical vibration. As collective was bottomed a large piece of one main rotor blade separated. The plt said he jettisoned the load and the 100 ft line and landed the acft in a mountain side clearing. During the post accident examination a portion of the main rotor blade about 32 inches long was found missing. This failure started with a crack on the blade. While on the ground the drooping of the blade would tend to close and mask the crack on the bottom of the blade where it would more readily have been seen. A general aviation airworthiness alert stated that fractures on helicopter blades occur at locations where blade damage existed. Damage ranging from scratches, dents, nicks or corrosion pits became a potential point for stress to concentrate and propagate into cracks leading to blade failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58116
- Reported as
- Bell 205A-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 30133
- Airframe hours
- 4,388
- Engine
- Lycoming T53-13, 1,250 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Registered owner
- Alaska Helecopter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 30, 1984 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- Gold Creek, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 9,430 total · 450 in this make and model · 9,400 as pilot in command · 400 in the last 90 days · 200 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 100 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N58116 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.