- Date
- August 12, 1983, 07:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Dodge City, KS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7412FHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830812040979A
- Case key
- 33467
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 dispensing a load of chemicals, the plt was returning to land when he felt a vibration in the tail boom. This was followed by a loud noise & the helicopter began turning. The plt lowered the collective & the power. Subsequently, the helicopter landed hard & the tail rotor blades severed the tail boom. At some point during the accident sequence, the tail rotor gear box separated. An investigation revealed that the tail rotor boom center support fitting, pn 269A2324-7, had failed after 511 hrs of flt time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7412F
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1050446
- Airframe hours
- 511
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Terry W. Eubank
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 15, 1983
- Departed
- Wright, KS
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,313 total · 513 in this make and model · 1,269 as pilot in command · 190 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 20 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.
Other investigations on N7412F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.