- Date
- November 4, 1988, 06:51 local (12:51 UTC)
- Place
- W. Cameron 617
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N355EHAerospatiale AS-355F-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19881104049389A
- Case key
- 22751
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
The loss of control of the aircraft which occurred when the tail rotor drive shaft experienced a fatigue induced material failure and tail rotor thrust was lost. Evidence indicated that the shaft was under designed for the loads that were encountered during normal operations.
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
Acft was departing an elevated helideck on an offshore production platform when it experienced a complete loss of tail rotor thrust and acft control due to a failure of the tail rotor drive shaft. The failure occurred as the plt initiated his takeoff with the acft having just cleared the deck and recovery was not possible. Investigation revealed that the drive shaft had failed as a result of fatigue cracking in an area of fretting where the shaft was bonded and bolted to its coupling. This and previous failures in the same area indicated that the shaft was under designed for the application and normal operating stresses. Shaft was subsequently re-designed and the fleet retrofitted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N355EH
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS-355F-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5137
- Airframe hours
- 8,747
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20F, 425 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Era Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- AAIP · November 3, 1988
- Departed
- NONE · W. Cameron 617, GM
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- WC61 · W. Cameron 617
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 8,819 total · 1,081 in this make and model · 8,162 as pilot in command · 270 in the last 90 days · 81 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- C556, 15 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.