- Date
- August 19, 1989, 09:10 local (19:10 UTC)
- Place
- Volcano, HI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 5 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N35970Aerospatiale AS350D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890819030479A
- Case key
- 26480
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
A catastrophic failure of the power turbine shaft and bearings. The failure was a result of oil starvation due to an excessively worn chip detector o-ring seal,inadequate maintenance and preflight. Contributing factor(s) was: the mountainous terrain.
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 VFR sight-seeing flight was being conducted uner 14 CFR 135. While descending into a mountainous area the pilot felt a severe vibration abt 10 - 15 seconds before the engine failed. The plt executed an autorotation in the upward sloping terrain and the helicopter rolled-over on touchdown. The engine exam dsclsd that the power turbine shaft and the nos. 2 & 3 bearings failed due to oil starvation and displayed extreme high temperature distress. The chip detector o-ring seal was excessively worn. Oil residue streaking was found on the outside of the fuselage/ tailcone assy and the vertical/horizontal stabilizers.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35970
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS350D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1131
- Airframe hours
- 8,833
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101, 600 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Papillon Helicopters, Ltd, doing business as Papillon Hawaiian Tours
- Registered owner
- Papillon Hawaiian Helc., Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 8, 1989 · 68 hours before
- Departed
- Waikoloa, HI
- 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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 20 in this make and model · 7,500 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.