- Date
- December 2, 1992, 17:09 local (Dec 3, 1992, 01:09 UTC)
- Place
- Fresno, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N80142Robinson R-22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921202048709A
- Case key
- 27877
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 pilot's inadequate preflight. Contributing to this accident was the separation of the fuel cap, tail rotor blade balance weight, tail rotor gear box, and the vertical fin.
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 tail rotor gear box and the vertical fin separated during cruise flight. The pilot was able to land the helicopter in a flood basin. The wreckage examination disclosed that the fuel cap came off the fuel tank and struck a tail rotor blade. The tail rotor blade balance weight separated as did the entire vertical fin. The tail rotor assembly remained attached to the helicopter by its pitch change connecting rod. Metallurgical examination of the separated parts disclosed no evidence of any preexisting cracking or fatigue. The porosity level of the vertical fin bulkhead casting was within normal limits.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N80142
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0992
- Airframe hours
- 2,167
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Henry Broadcasting Co.
- Registered owner
- Henry Broadcasting Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 9, 1992
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,130 total · 2,667 in this make and model · 156 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.