- Date
- September 23, 1983, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cape Girardeau, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5786BS.N.I.A.S. AS350D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830923050919A
- Case key
- 33491
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
The plt reported that during flt, he heard a grinding noise, then the helicopter pitched up & to the left. He reduced power & noticed that the tail rotor was inoperative. During a run-on landing approach, the helicopter begun to yaw, then before touchdown, it began to spin. During ground impact, the landing gear skids were twisted, the vertical fin was knocked off, all main rotor blades struct the ground & the right front & right rear doors were damaged. An investigation revealed the tail rotor drive shaft, pn 350A34-0110-02, had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5786B
- Reported as
- S.N.I.A.S. AS350D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1454
- Airframe hours
- 306
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aerospatiale Helicopters,Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 11, 1982 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- IND · Indianopolis, IN
- Airport
- CGI · Cape Girardeau Muni
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,501 total · 337 in this make and model · 5,129 as pilot in command · 128 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CGI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.