Bell UH-1B N70696
11 March 1997 · Labelle, Florida, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 11 March 1997 at about 15:00 local time, a Bell UH-1B registered N70696, operated by Colony Services, Inc., was involved in an accident near Labelle, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Labelle, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 26.6403, -81.3396
- Aircraft
- Bell UH-1B
- Registration
- N70696
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Colony Services, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA97LA099
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
Company maintenance personnel's failure to properly evaluate a main rotor system problem resulting in main rotor straps with multiple laminates separated due to fatigue cracking being allowed to continue in service until failure and separation of a main rotor blade.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A main rotor blade had been changed during troubleshooting of the main rotor system. While in a hover to track and balance the rotor system, the other main rotor blade and grip separated. Examination showed the main rotor blade and grip separated due to fatigue cracking of 40 out of 49 main blade strap laminates. The blade that had been change and did not separate was found to have 26 out of 49 main blade strap laminates separated due to fatigue. The fatigue initiated at the strap pin hole. The main blade straps have a life limit of 1,200 flight hours. Logbook records showed the main blade straps were installed in the rotor hub assembly during overhaul in Singapore, 640.4 flight hours before failure. The main rotor straps were reported to be new when installed.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell UH-1B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun 1997 | Bell UH-1B | Heron, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Jun 1996 | Bell UH-1B | Lorida, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1996 | Bell UH-1B | Concepcion, Argentina | Manuel Prieto | Fatal | 8 |
| 7 Mar 1998 | Bell UH-1B | Hollister, California, United States | Cantrell Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 May 1999 | Bell UH-1B | Wrangell, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | - |
| 25 Aug 1999 | Bell UH-1B | Lost Hills, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr 1997 | Cessna 152 | La Crosse, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Apr 1997 | Navion A | Quincy, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 1997 | Diamond DA 20-A1 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Pelican Airways | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1997 | Cessna 172N | Lakeland, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 1997 | Cessna 150M | Ormond Beach, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 1997 | Bellanca 8GCBC | Bunnell, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |