- Date
- February 24, 1983, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Peach Springs, AZ
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3898YBell BH 206-L111
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830224005439A
- Case key
- 23627
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
After the rotorcraft took off to a hover the pilot did a pedal turn for a down canyon departure. After the hover turn the pilot slid to the right to clear some obstacles and when the rotorcraft moved laterally about 25 feet the pilot heard a bang. The left pedal was slacked and the rotorcraft began to spin to the right until it came to rest 10 degrees nose down. There were no injuries and no fire. Investigation revealed that the tail rotor shaft assembly failed between number 3 and 4 hanger bearings. The nuts that hold each assembly together were missing. The bolts were not sheared. One was found in the rocks below the tail rotor. The other was still in place. No nuts were found at the crash scene. The factory recommended blue dots were missing when the new nuts were replaced by maintenance personnel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3898Y
- Reported as
- Bell BH 206-L111 (BH 206-L11)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 51024
- Airframe hours
- 335
- Engine
- Allison 250-C30P, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Energy Fuels Nuclear, Inc.
- Registered owner
- The Helicopter Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 10, 1983 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- Savanic Mine, AZ
- Destination
- Cunningham Mine, AZ
- 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
- 32
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,187 total · 256 in this make and model · 4,901 as pilot in command · 92 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N3898Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.