Service difficulty report · Blade · Bell 206B

Difficulty date
May 22, 2015
Submitted
April 22, 2016
Operation
General aviation
Make and model
Bell 206B
Aircraft time
18,988 hours
Engine
Allsn 250C20B
Part
Blade
Part number
206010200133
Condition
Damaged
Location
Main Rotor
Part time
4,563 hours
Stage of operation
AP
How discovered
O
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) PILOT WAS ON APPROACH BACK TO FORESTRY BASE, 1.5 MILES WHEN HE AND HIS PASSENGER HEARD A LOUD POP. THEY LOOKED AROUND THE CABIN BUT FOUND AND FELT NOTHING. UPON LANDING AND SHUTDOWN, A WHISTLING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE BLADES. AN INVESTIGATION BY THE PILOT REVEALED THAT THE TIP CAP HAD BEEN DISPLACED ANGULARILY FROM AFT TO TIP. THE PILOT NOTIFIED THE DM WHO CONTACTED MFG. PSE LIGHT REFERENCED THE DM TO TB 206-11-197, REV A. AFTER READING THE TB WE SEPARATED THE BLADE AT BS 133 AND FOUND THAT THE BOND HAD BROKEN BETWEEN THE 1 X 1 X .5" LEAD TELL-TALE PIECE AND THE BLADE ALLOWING THE TELL-TALL TO ACCELERATE DOWN THE SPAR CHANNEL AND CONTACT THE TIP WEIGHT CAUSING IT TO BREAK THE MID CHORD TIP WEIGHT SUPPORT SCREW HOLES TO RUPTURE UNDER BEARING LOAD. FORTUNATELY THE SCREW DIAMETER WOULD NOT FIT THROUGH THE BROKEN SECTIONS OF THE UPPER AND LOWER HOLES, SO THE TIP WEIGHT REMAINED RETAINED. BOTH BLADES HAD FLOWN TOGETHER SINCE 0.0 TSO. THE MATING BLADE WAS INSPECTED WITH NO DEFECTES FOUND. ALTHOUGH THESE BLADES HAVE GONE THROUGH SOME TRAINING EXERCISES, THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY REPORTS OF OVERSPEED ISSUES.

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