- Date
- January 11, 1983, 16:33 local (22:33 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N23021Bell 222
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830111002499I
- Case key
- 20774
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
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 helicopter developed a severe vibration while in flt. The pilot executed an emergency landing with no further acft damage. An examination of the acft revealed that the walking beam assembly located between the swash plate and rotor pitch link had failed. Fracturing originated at a corrosion pit on a thread flank. Microscopic examination of the threads revealed that local area of corrosion pitting had occurred where the shot peen balls had been contacting the flanks of the threads.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23021
- Reported as
- Bell 222
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 47083
- Airframe hours
- 720
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101-650C3, 620 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Executive Airlink
- Registered owner
- Executive Helicopters Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Airport
- IAH · Houston Intercont.
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,511 total · 450 in this make and model · 205 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAH, 3 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.