Bell 230 N232UM

Summary

On 9 September 1995 at about 17:17 local time, a Bell 230 registered N232UM, operated by Corporate Jets, Inc., was involved in an accident near Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 September 1995 at 17:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Ann Arbor Municipal (ARB)

Coordinates

42.2205, -83.7294

Aircraft

Bell 230

Registration

N232UM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Corporate Jets, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Toledo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI95FA320

Nobody was injured.

the manufacturer's inadequate quality control which led to a fatigue failure of the tail rotor blade.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight the helicopter sustained the loss of the entire tail rotor system. The helicopter landed successfully with no additional damage or any injuries. Examination revealed the loss was initiated by a fatigue crack in the skin of one of the tail rotor blades. The manufacturer determined that a manufacturing process used in making the blades initiated the fatigue failure due to a grinding process which removed material from the tail rotor skin.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.