- Date
- March 12, 1991, 09:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Vero Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N9687RBell UH-1B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910312021829A
- Case key
- 32844
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
Improper maintenance adjustment by company maintenance personnel resulting in overtorque of a tailboom attach bolt which allowed the tailboom to shift. This disengaged the tail rotor drive shaft at a coupling resulting in the loss of tail rotor drive.
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
Shortly after takeoff at 40 ft AGL, the plt stated that he observed the high/low rotor/eng warning light was illuminated & the helicopter entered an uncommanded rt yaw. He entered an autorotation & while descending, the main rotor blades contacted trees. He pulled collective pitch before impact with terrain. Exam of the helicopter revealed that the upper rt tailboom attach bolt was stripped which allowed the tailboom to shift resulting in the separation of the nos. 1 & 2 tail rotor drive shaft sections at the coupling. Exam of the stripped bolt by a qualified individual revealed that it failed due to being overtorqued. The company mechanic stated that the tailboom attach bolts are checked for proper torque every 100 hrs & was last accomplished about 55 hrs earlier.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9687R
- Reported as
- Bell UH-1B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 62-12529
- Airframe hours
- 7,047
- Engine
- Lycoming T53L11D, 1,100 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Colony Services, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Colony Services, Inc.
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 28, 1990 · 55 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · Unknown
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
- 47
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 5,120 total · 1,420 in this make and model · 4,650 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 5 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.