- Date
- May 26, 1982, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbury, IL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8348FHughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820526019249A
- Case key
- 70654
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
During flight, the N2 and nr suddenly accelerated to 110 percent. The pilot eventually shut down the engine and made an autorotation. An open field was selected for a landing site; however, it was muddy with standing water. The pilot decided on a full stop landing rather than a slide-on landing to avoid a nose over. During touchdown, the main rotor blades flexed downward and severed the tail boom. An investigation revealed there was sand and aluminum hydroxide corrosion in the turbine governor, pn 2524706-3. Also, some corrosion and foreign material was found in the fuel controlunit, pn 2524644-1. Both units had 2.5 hrs of operation since they were installed on this aircraft. An inspection of thegovernor showed that the pg channel in the drive body was completely blocked. This blockage would have resulted in an engine overspeed of up to 112 percent. The governor had been salvaged from a helicopter that had been in an accident in brazil. The corrosion was indicative of long term exposure to the environment.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8348F
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1260051D
- Airframe hours
- 1,312
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 375 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Norman P. Rittenhouse
- Registered owner
- Norman P. Rittenhouse
- Departed
- Fairbury, IL
- Destination
- Fairbury, IL
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
- 41
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 4,813 total · 806 in this make and model · 4,725 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 149 °F
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 N8348F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.