Bell 222U N3180K

Summary

On 31 May 1985 at about 12:25 local time, a Bell 222U registered N3180K, operated by Aircraft Management Service, was involved in an accident near Milford, Virginia, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

31 May 1985 at 12:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Milford, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

38.0199, -77.3605

Aircraft

Bell 222U

Registration

N3180K

Category

Helicopter

Engines

2

Operator

Aircraft Management Service

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Executive/Corporate

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Richmond → Quantico

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

BFO85FA049

Nobody was injured.

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 HELO WAS IN LEVEL CRUISE FLT AT 1500 FT AND 115 KTS WHEN THE NO. 2 ENG CHIP LIGHT ILLUMINATED, ACCOMPANIED BY LOWERING OIL PRESSURE. THE PLT REDUCED PWR AND STARTED A RT TURN TO RETURN TO BASE WHEN HALF WAY THRU THE TURN A LOUD BANG OCCURRED FOLLOWED BY COMPLETE POWER LOSS OF BOTH ENGINES AND ENG CMPT FIRE. A SUCCESSFUL AUTOROTATION ENSUED, AND THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED WITH THE ACFT SYSTEM AFTER LNDG. LATER EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE NO. 3 BEARING HAD FAILED. ULTIMATELY RELEASING THE PWR TURBINE ASSY FROM THE ENG. THE TURBINE DISC WELDED TO THE TAILPIPE CENTER BODY, FAILING THE DISC. FRAGMENTS STRUCK THE NO. 1 ENGINE WHICH RESULTED IN ITS UNCOMMANDED SHUT DOWN. BOTH ENGINES HAD A LENGTHY HISTORY OF CHIP ALARMS. LYCOMING HAD RECENTLY APPROVED A 100 HR. EXTENSION TO THE RECOMMENDED HOT SECTION INTERVAL AFTER A REVIEW OF MAINT. RECORDS. THREE SCAVENGE CHIP ALARMS OCCURRED DRG THE 50 HRS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.