Sikorsky UH-19D N37785
4 July 1983 · Thomasville, Georgia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 July 1983 at about 15:45 local time, a Sikorsky UH-19D registered N37785 was involved in an accident near Thomasville, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 15:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Thomasville, Georgia, United States
- Coordinates
- 30.9709, -84.0509
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky UH-19D
- Registration
- N37785
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Thomasville → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL83LA252
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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
THE HELICOPTER WAS ON A SWATH RUN AT ABOUT 5 FT AGL & WAS APPROACHING HI OBSTRUCTIONS WHEN THE PLT NOTED THAT THE NEEDLES SPLIT, THE ENG RPM INCREASED & THE MAIN ROTOR RPM BEGAN DECREASING. THE PLT TURNED TO AVOID THE OBSTRUCTIONS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO LEVEL THE ACFT BEFORE GROUND IMPACT. IT HIT THE GROUND IN A RIGHT SIDE, TAIL LOW, ATTITUDE & ROTATED TO THE RIGHT AFTER THE MAIN ROTOR MADE GROUND CONTACT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE HYDROMECHANICAL CLUTCH HAD BEEN OVERHAULED & INSTALLED, 2.5 FLT HRS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. NO UNUSUAL WEAR, DEFECTIVE PARTS NOR IMPROPER ALIGNMENT OF THE CLUTCH WAS FOUND. THE CLUTCH HAD BEEN LUBRICATED WITH AN UPDATED OIL. THE MILITARY HAD UPGRADE MIL-L-2105 LUBRICANT TO MIL-L-2105B & C WITH NEW ADDITIVES TO PREVENT LOCKUP OF ITS LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIALS ON NEWER HELICOPTERS. HOWEVER,THE ADDITIVES WERE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH UH-19D HYDROMECHANICAL CLUTCHES WHICH USED A METAL-TO-METAL PRINCIPLE. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, MIL-L-21260 TYPE 1, GRADE 30 OIL WAS MADE A SUBSTITUTE FOR MIL-L-2105A GRADE 80 OIL, WHICH WAS NO LONGER AVAIL
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Sikorsky UH-19D accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Dec 1986 | Sikorsky UH-19D | Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 1992 | Sikorsky UH-19D | St. Augustine, Florida, United States | Mitchell III, William L. | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 2003 | Sikorsky UH-19D | La Grande, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1983 | Piper PA-22-150 | Jonesboro, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 1983 | Cessna A150L | Ringgold, Georgia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 20 Sep 1983 | Beechcraft E18S | Jonesboro, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 1983 | Aerotek S-2A | Dublin, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 1983 | Hughes 269A | Moultrie, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 1983 | Cessna A188B | Ashburn, Georgia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |