Service difficulty report · Latch · Snias AS350B3

Difficulty date
August 27, 2012
Submitted
September 14, 2015
Operation
General aviation
Make and model
Snias AS350B3
Part
Latch
Part number
D2586
Condition
Broken
Location
Door
Part time
1,070 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

(CAN) AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF FLIGHT, SOME SMALL POWERFUL VIBRATIONS OCCURRED AND THE HELICOPTER JERKED LEFT YAW. FIRST REACTION WAS TO LOOK AT THE DASHBOARD. THERE WAS NO LIGHT. PILOT SLOWED DOWN AND THEN THE DOOR WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. RETURNED AND LANDED WITHOUT ANY DIFFICULTIES OR VIBRATION. AFTER LANDING, COULD ESTABLISH THAT THE RT SPACE POD DOOR WAS OPEN. AFTER CLOSER SURVEY, FOUND OUT THAT HAD BEEN HIT BY THE PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION WHICH HAD BEEN IN THE RT COMPARTMENT. THE TAIL WAS HIT IN FLIGHT. UPON INSPECTION ON THE RT DOOR, WE COULD SEE THAT THE REAR DOOR LATCH WAS BROKEN. WALKAROUND WAS MADE BEFORE THE FLIGHT OF THE PILOT AND TECH CHECKED THAT ALL DOORS WERE CLOSED BEFORE THE FLIGHT.