- Date
- June 5, 1990, 09:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Brookville, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8315FHughes 369HS
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 17, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900605018529A
- Case key
- 36658
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
Worn tail rotor pitch control assembly, due to improper maintenance/installation, and subsequent fatigue failure of the tail rotor swashplate.
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
During a power line patrol flt over wooded terrian, at about 60 to 85 ft AGL, tailrotor control of the helicopter was lost. The helicopter began to spin to the right and the plt attempted a hovering autorotation. The helicopter began spinning faster. Subsequently, it settled onto the power line, then crashed to the ground. An exam revealed that the tail rotor swashplate had failed from fatigue. The swashplate outer diameter was worn with evidence of spalling, the bearing inner diameter was lightly scored, the swashplate threads were severely worn with evidence of spalling due to relative motion with the mating threads of the locknut, and the lockwasher tang had worn a significant pattern in the swashplate keyway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8315F
- Reported as
- Hughes 369HS
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 801S
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20, 278 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Helicopter Minit Men, Inc.
- Departed
- Dubois, PA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 60
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 11,500 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 11,000 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.