- Date
- July 27, 1990, 19:05 local (Jul 28, 1990, 01:05 UTC)
- Place
- Thompson Falls, MT
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N314RMBell BH-214
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900727028959A
- Case key
- 41251
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
Crew's encounter with soft terrain while attempting an autorotation landing after the failure of the main rotor drive system.
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 crew of the bell 214B-1 helicopter attempted a forced landing after the failure of the main driveshaft assembly while they were in cruise flight. The skids dug into soft ground, causing the nose to pitch forward. The skids left the airframe and the tailboom was struck by a main rotor blade. A pinched o-ring had permitted most of the lubricant to be evacuated from part of the main drive assembly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N314RM
- Reported as
- Bell BH-214
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 28041
- Engine
- Lycoming T5508D, 2,250 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Rocky Mountain Helicopters,Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 24, 1990
- Departed
- Sandpoint, ID
- Destination
- MSO · Missoula, MT
- 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 16,661 total · 5,297 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °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.
Other investigations on N314RM · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.