S N I A S AS350D ASTAR N3605B
12 April 1982 · Alcoa, Tennessee, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 12 April 1982 at about 10:51 local time, a S N I A S AS350D ASTAR registered N3605B, operated by Mountain Coals Inc., was involved in an accident near Alcoa, Tennessee, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 10:51
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Alcoa, Tennessee, United States
- Nearest airport
- McGhee Tyson (TYS)
- Coordinates
- 35.7890, -83.9704
- Aircraft
- S N I A S AS350D ASTAR
- Registration
- N3605B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Mountain Coals Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Executive/Corporate
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Middesboro → Alcoa
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL82DA100
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
WHILE PREPARING TO LAND, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A TAIL ROTOR DRIVE FAILURE AT A SPEED OF LESS THAN 60 KNOTS. AT THAT SPEED, HE WAS UNABLE TO MAKE THE NECESSARY RIGHT TURN FROM HIS POSITION TO LAND ON THE RUNWAY. INSTEAD, HE CLIMBED ABOUT 50 FT IN A LEFT TURN TO LINE-UP FOR A RUN-ON LANDING. AS HE SLOWED TO ABOUT 20 KNOTS AT LOW ALTITUDE, THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO YAW HARD TO THE LEFT. THE COLLECTIVE WAS LOWERED TO TOUCHDOWN BEFORE CONTROL WAS LOST. DURING THE LANDING, THE HELICOPTER BOUNCED AND ROTATED ABOUT 90 DEGREES BEFORE COMING TO REST. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER 4 TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT BEARING, PN 6007-2RS1MT47CA, HAD SEIZED. THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT AND RUBBER MOUNTING COLLAR CONTINUED TURNING UNTIL THE SEIZED BEARING CHAFFED THROUGH THE COLLAR AND ALSO THE DRIVE SHAFT ITSELF. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT, PN 350A34-0110-02, SHEARED. THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT BEARING WAS FACTORY LUBED AND SEALED AND HAD NO RETIREMENT TIME LIMIT. THE BEARING FAILED AFTER 729 HOURS OF OPERATION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other S N I A S AS350D accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Dec 1982 | S N I A S AS350D | Houston, Texas, United States | Panther Pacific Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1983 | S N I A S AS350D | Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1983 | S N I A S AS350D | Seattle, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jul 1985 | S N I A S AS350D ASTAR | Houma, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Jul 1982 | Varga 2180 | Arlington, Tennessee, United States | Curtis R. Merkel | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 1982 | Piper PA-28-181 | Athens, Tennessee, United States | Charles Reddel | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Jul 1982 | Pitts S2S | Somerville, Tennessee, United States | Howard M. Mullins | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 1982 | American AA-1 | Covington, Tennessee, United States | Frank E. Griffin | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jun 1982 | Bensen B-8M | Parsons, Tennessee, United States | Johnnie R. FOX | No injuries | - |
| 22 May 1982 | Douglas DC-9-15F | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | Republic Airlines, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |