Service difficulty report · Hydraulic System · Bell 407

Difficulty date
June 30, 2013
Submitted
July 2, 2013
Operation
Air carrier
Aircraft
N407NA
Make and model
Bell 407
Aircraft serial
53592
Aircraft time
4,111 hours, 9,473 cycles
Engine
Allsn 250C47B
Engine time
627 hours, 1,524 cycles
Part
Hydraulic System
Condition
Malfunctioned
Stage of operation
AA
How discovered
O
Nature of condition
F, J
Precautionary procedure
A

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

What was found

AFTER DECENT AND LEVELING AT 2500 FEET THE HYD PRESS AND CYCLIC CENTER LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ALONG WITH THE LOSS OF NORMAL CONTROL FORCES AND THE ACFT BECAME VERY SLOPPY AND HEAVY. ALL INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE HYD FAILED, DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND DIVERTED. TURNED OFF THE FORCE TRIM AND AUTO TRIM AS WELL AS PULLED SEVERAL CBS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AUTO PILOT AND SAS SYS. NO DIFFERENCE ON THE CONTROLLABILITY OF THE ACFT. DID A RUN-ON LANDING TO 25L AND HAD APPROX 500 FT OF GROUND SLIDE. CHECKED HYD PRESSURE BY TURNING BLADES BY HAND AND MANIPULATED THE CONTROLS. CYCLIC VERY HEAVY AND WAS NOT ABLE TO MOVE THE COLLECTIVE. REPEATED CHECK AND EVERYTHING IMPROVED OVER A PERIOD OF TURNING ROTOR SYSTEM. A GROUND RUN PERFORMED AND IT WAS APPARENT THAT HYD PRESSURE HAD BEEN RESTORED. CONTROLS STILL DID NOT FEEL RIGHT TO ME AND THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT LEFT PULL IN THE CYCLIC WITH OR W/O THE SAS." CURRENTLY TROUBLESHOOTING THE ISSUES TO FIND A CAUSE OF THIS EVENT.

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