WPR13LA404

The pilot reported that he was flying low over a field when he heard a "loud bang." He initiated a precautionary landing, during which, the helicopter started to spin. The pilot lowered the collective, and the helicopter subsequently landed hard on a road. Postaccident examination of the helicopter structure revealed that one of the center frame tubes, located just aft of the cabin, had separated due to a fracture. Examination of the fracture surface revealed that a fatigue fracture initiated in the tube at the root of a fillet weld associated with a reinforcing fillet welded axially along the tube. The fatigue crack propagated through the thickness of the tube and circumferentially around the tube from both sides of the weld root. Darker corrosion product found on the fracture face indicated that the preexisting fatigue crack had been exposed to atmospheric elements. The tube fracture occurred in single-sided bending consistent with in-flight airframe loads. The helicopter's most recent 100-hour inspection occurred about 1 month before the accident. According to manufacturer's guidance, the 100-hour inspection required, in part, an inspection of all structural tubing and fittings for cracks, cuts, bends, corrosion, distortion, and damage. If maintenance personnel had adequately inspected this area, they might have identified the degradation of the tube.

On September 11, 2013 about 0715 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 47G5 helicopter, N7836S, sustained substantial damage during a precautionary landing about 6 miles southeast of King City, California. The pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The helicopter's lower center frame and tailboom sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Wilbur-Ellis Corporation as an agricultural spray flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight and no flight plan was filed. The pilot reported that he was spraying a field about 3-4 feet above the ground when he heard a loud bang. The pilot elected to make a precautionary landing; during the landing flare, the helicopter started to spin. The pilot lowered the collective and the helicopter landed hard onto a road; subsequently, the helicopter's skids spread, and the lower center frame and tailboom were bent. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that one of the helicopter's center frame tubes, located just aft of the cabin, had fracture separated. A senior metallurgist at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) materials laboratory reviewed photographs of the fractured surfaces and reported that a fatigue fracture initiated in the tube at the root of a fillet weld associated with a reinforcing filet welded axially along the tube. The fatigue crack propagated through the thickness of the tube and circumferentially around the tube from both sides of the weld root. Darker corrosion product on the fracture face is indicative of a pre-existing fatigue crack that had been exposed to atmospheric elements. The fracture in the tube occurred in single-sided bending consistent with inflight airframe loads. On August 8, 2013 the helicopter underwent a 100 hour inspection. According to manufacturer's guidance, the 100 hour inspection requires in part: to "Inspect all structural tubing and fittings for cracks, cuts, bends, corrosion, distortion and damage."