- Date
- October 3, 1984, 09:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Reinholds, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N77ARBell 206L-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841003058989A
- Case key
- 35783
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
Plt felt vibration in anti-torque pedals followed by a series of loud bangs coming from the tail section. Plt initiated precautionary landing during which tail rotor effectiveness. During the 'power off' run on landing main rotor blades contacted the tail boom. Post accident examination of the tail rotor driveshaft assembly disclosed the second tail rotor drive shaft segment failed after one bolt from the rear thomas coupler disconnected. Examination of the bolt holes revealed thread imprints. The bolt and nut were not found
Aircraft
- Registration
- N77AR
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45296
- Airframe hours
- 1,780
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hamilton Aeronautics
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- LNS · Lancaster, PA
- Destination
- RDG · Reading, PA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,882 total · 257 in this make and model · 5,264 as pilot in command · 82 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LNS, 25 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.