- Date
- August 6, 1988, 19:30 local (Aug 7, 1988, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cameron, LA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3190KBell 222UT
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880806071059I
- Case key
- 22577
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
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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
Plt stated that the acft pitched 20 deg nose down without warning while in cruise flt at 1,200' and 120 KTS. Following recovery, the acft required additional rt pedal to stay in trim and it flew about 10 deg nosed down in lvl flt. Flt diverted to the opr's base and landed successfully. Examination revealed that the rt horz stab had separated just outboard of the tailboom. Metallurgical examination of the separation revealed multiple fatigue origins in the areas of both the forward and aft top spar cap rivet holes and that the crack in the aft spar had been present for some time. Previous failures in this area had been attributed to working rivets causing stress concentrations in the rivet holes. Prevention of this type failure is effected by replacing the affected rivets in a timely manner. Maintenance records revealed that the left horizontal stabilizer had been repaired on 3 prior occasions, but there were no records of repairs on the rt stabilizer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3190K
- Reported as
- Bell 222UT
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 47531
- Airframe hours
- 2,712
- Engine
- Lycoming LT5-101-750C1, 700 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Textron Financial Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 3, 1988 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- EC · East Cameron245, GM
- Destination
- LCH · Lake Charles, LA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- Private
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,491 total · 958 in this make and model · 7,774 as pilot in command · 93 in the last 90 days · 46 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHI, 10 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.