- Date
- June 28, 1992, 12:25 local (18:25 UTC)
- Place
- Scipio, UT
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N222UHBell 222UT
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920628054889I
- Case key
- 18171
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
An encounter with clear air turbulence.
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 EMS helicopter encountered clear air turbulence while en route to pick up a patient. During the event, the nose pitched up rapidly to about 20 degrees, activating the ELT. The pilot felt feedback through the controls and landed to reset the ELT. Later, the pilot noted mast torque fluctuations followed by a zero reading on the gauge. Postflight inspection disclosed the transmission had contacted its mounts, severing several electrical leads including the torque sensor. A crack was also discovered about 2 1/2 feet outboard of the main blade grip, propagating back from the blade leading edge.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N222UH
- Reported as
- Bell 222UT
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 47545
- Airframe hours
- 3,575
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101-750C1, 684 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Air Methods Corporation
- Registered owner
- Air Methods Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 12, 1992 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- PVU · Provo, UT
- Destination
- NONE · Panguitch, UT
- Flight plan
- Company 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
- 36
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,170 total · 300 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °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 N222UH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.