Aerospatiale SA-315 N49511
18 October 1993 · Beckwourth, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 18 October 1993 at about 21:30 local time, a Aerospatiale SA-315 registered N49511, operated by Pacific Western Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Beckwourth, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Beckwourth, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.6602, -120.4302
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA-315
- Registration
- N49511
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Pacific Western Helicopters
- Operating rule
- Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Nervino → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Not Reported
- NTSB number
- LAX94LA017
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
was the worn collective servo causing a hydraulic lock and not allowing the pilot to lower the collective. This condition caused the main rotor blades rpm to decay.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING AN EXTERNAL HELICOPTER EXTERNAL LOAD LOGGING OPERATION. AFTER RAISING TWO LOGS, THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD 'THUNK' NOISE FOLLOWED BY AN UNCONTROLLED TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE ROTOR RPM BECAUSE HE COULD NOT LOWER THE COLLECTIVE. EXAMINATION OF THE COLLECTIVE SERVO REVEALED IT TO HAVE INTERNAL LEAKAGE WHICH CAUSED A HYDRAULIC LOCK IN THE SERVO. THE SERVO EXTENSION AND RETRACTION TIME EXCEEDED THE MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale SA-315 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Dec 1995 | Aerospatiale SA 315 | Manning, South Carolina, United States | Gold Kist, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Oct 1984 | Aerospatiale SA-315-B | West Bay, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 1982 | Aerospatiale SA 315 B | 35 Se Moab, Utah, United States | Rocky Mountain Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2007 | Aerospatiale SA-315 | Stuart, Oklahoma, United States | Skydance Operations Inc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jul 1993 | Cessna 310H | Lancaster, California, United States | Yehiem Konski | Fatal | 6 |
| 14 Nov 1993 | Cessna 182 | Colusa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jan 1993 | Cessna 172P | Sun City, California, United States | Hiser Helicopters, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Jul 1993 | Robinson R44 | El Monte, California, United States | Benjamin F. Venti, SR. | Fatal | 3 |
| 17 Nov 1993 | Piper PA-38-112 | Fresno, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1993 | Beechcraft A35 | Tulare, California, United States | Rent and Lease Programs | Fatal | 2 |