- Date
- May 21, 1990, 16:05 local (23:05 UTC)
- Place
- Juneau, AK
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N94495Sikorsky S-58D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900521016969A
- Case key
- 41197
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
The failure of the number 3 segment of the tail rotor drive shaft assembly.
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 pilot experienced loss of tail rotor control while at a high hover with an external load of logs. The acft began spinning to the right and impacted the ground while in a spin. Examination of the wreckage revealed a fracture of the no. 3 segment of the tail rotor drive shaft assy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N94495
- Reported as
- Sikorsky S-58D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 58-730
- Airframe hours
- 5,605
- Engine
- Curtis Wright R-1820, 1,525 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Operator
- Alaska Skycranes
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 11, 1990 · 22 hours before
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 30
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Invalid Medical for flight
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,242 total · 184 in this make and model · 4,100 as pilot in command · 71 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JNU, 20 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.