- Date
- October 10, 1989, 13:29 local (17:29 UTC)
- Place
- Lacey Township, NJ
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N21FLAgusta A109A Mkii
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 18, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891010039549A
- Case key
- 36745
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
In-flight separation of a main rotor blade due to fatigue failure of the main rotor blade spar, which originated at a manufacturing induced scratch (tool mark) that was the result of inadequate quality control.
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
As the helicopter was in cruise flt at an alt of 2200' MSL, a portion of one of the main rotor blades separated. The subsequent imbalance resulted in separation of the transmission & main rotor assembly from the helicopter. The helicopter then crashed in an uncontrolled descent. A metallurgical exam of the separated blade revealed that it had failed from fatigue. The fracture had initiated at a manufacturing induced scratch in the spar of the blade. The scratch was on the inner surface of the spar at blade station 2825 (in millimeters), near the lead balance wt. It was in line with the edge of the adhesive filet. There was evidence that the crack originated where a sharp tool was used to trim the edge of the adhesive filet. The blade fractured after 922 hrs of operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21FL
- Reported as
- Agusta A109A Mkii
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 7309
- Airframe hours
- 911
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Paramount Aviation
- Registered owner
- Fsq Air Charter Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 3, 1989 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- 6N4 · New York City, NY
- Destination
- ACY · Atlantic City, NJ
- 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
- 27
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,900 total · 100 in this make and model · 2,900 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WRI, 22 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.