Service difficulty report · Strap · Bell OH58A

Difficulty date
May 8, 2015
Submitted
May 13, 2015
Operation
General aviation
Aircraft
N380PD
Make and model
Bell OH58A
Aircraft serial
7321879
Part
Strap
Part number
AA206011154105
Part serial
BA10923
Condition
Damaged
Location
Main Rotor
Part time
6,656 hours
Stage of operation
NR
How discovered
9
Nature of condition
O
Precautionary procedure
O

As reported to the FAA. Reports are unverified, and codes are left as the FAA publishes them.

What was found

AN 1:1 VIBRATION WAS REPORTED BY PILOT AS AN ONGOING ISSUE. IN AN ATTEMPT TO ELIMINATE OTHER SYSTEMS SUCH AS SWASH PLATE, FLIGHT CONTROLS AND GEARBOXES, A COMPLETE INSPECTION WAS CONDUCTED BY DISCONNECTING ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS AND ISOLATING EACH SYSTEM INDIVIDUALLY. SEVERAL BEARINGS WERE IDENTIFIED AS HAVING SLIGHT PLAY AND REPLACED REGARDLESS OF PLAY LIMITS. SWASH PLATE ASSY WAS INSPECTED OK AND HAD RECENTLY BEEN O/H. MAIN ROTOR HEAD ASSY WAS REMOVED, DISASSEMBLED, AND VISUAL INSPECTION DID NOT REVEAL ANDY DEFECTS. TO INCLUDE THE TT STRAPS. ROTOR HEAD WAS REASSEMBLED, ALIGNED, INSTALLED AND ANOTHER OPS FLIGHT/ROTOR SMOOTHING ATTEMPT WAS MADE. AS NOTED IN THE PREVIOUS ATTEMPS, THE ACFT WOULD MEET THE .02 IPS VIBRATION LIMITS EXCEPT WITH A REDUCTION OF POWER. EVERYTIME THE COLLECTIVE WAS LOWERED/REDUCTION OF POWER, THE ACFT WOULD EXPERIENCE A SEVERE TO EXCESSIVE 1:1 VERTICAL VIBRATION. IN AN ATTEMPT TO ISOLATE THE PROBLEM, ANOTHER SERVICEABLE MAIN ROTOR HEAD AND BLADE ASSY WAS INSTALLED. WITHIN 1 ADJUSTMENT FOLLOWING THE NEXT FLIGHT, THE ACFT MET ALL LIMIT REQUIREMENTS. AT THIS POINT, THE PROBLEM WAS IN THE SUSPECT HUB AND BLADE ASSEMBLY. PURCHASED TENSION/TORSION STRAPS AND INSTALLED THEM, COMPLETED THE ALIGNMENT AND COMPLETED THE MAIN ROTOR HUB AND BLADE.

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