- Date
- March 22, 1989, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5004FBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890322004339A
- Case key
- 7882
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Fatigue failure of the engine spur adapter gearshaft in an area where there was a lack of lubrication (oil starvation) due to a partially blocked oil delivery tube. Contributing factors were: inattentive maintenance or servicing of the aircraft by unknown maintenance personnel, the light conditions at dusk, and the electrical (transmission) wire.
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
Drg takeoff from a helipad at dusk, the eng lost pwr as the helicopter was climbing thru aprx 75' AGL. The plt initiatedan autorotation to a parking lot, which required the use of collective to reach the lot. Subsequently, the helicopter hit an electrical wire over the parking lot, then crashed. An exam revealed the turbine spur adapter gearshaft had failed from fatigue. Aluminum rich metal debris was found blocking the oil delivery tube to the gearshaft; the oil inlet screen filter was missing; and there was evidence of overheating & excessive wear of the gearshaft splines. The 100 hr inspn checklist for the eng required the removal & inspn of the eng oil sys filter. With the filter removed, there was direct access to the spur adapter gearshaft oil delivery tube & the oil tube connector assembly cup filter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5004F
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2443
- Airframe hours
- 4,894
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Dooley Helicopters Inc, doing business as Dooley Ltd
- Registered owner
- Revco Helicopters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 28, 1989 · 72 hours before
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 19,400 total · 6,627 in this make and model · 101 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 11 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PDK, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.