Aerospatiale AS-355F N101UC

Summary

On 5 March 1997 at about 17:15 local time, a Aerospatiale AS-355F registered N101UC, operated by Corporate Jets, Inc., was involved in an accident near Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 March 1997 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Washington, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Washington County (AFJ)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Aerospatiale AS-355F

Registration

N101UC

Category

Helicopter

Engines

2

Operator

Corporate Jets, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC97LA058

1 person had minor injuries.

The malfunction of a cyclic servo which resulted in a cyclic hard over at a hover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A mechanic changed one of the helicopter's lateral cyclic servos. The helicopter was test flown by the pilot with the mechanic onboard. After a successful test flight, the mechanic exited the helicopter and the pilot was to reposition the helicopter to the hospital helipad. When the pilot raised the collective, the helicopter lifted about 2 to 4 feet above the ground, and then began to roll left. The pilot attempted to correct for the left roll; however, the helicopter did not respond and the main rotor blades struck the ground. Examination of the helicopter revealed control continuity, and that the hydraulic servos were installed correctly. No preimpact failure of the airframe was observed. Examination of the servos revealed that two of the units tested to manufacturer's parameters. The master servo unit failed the bench test, had the appearance that it had been worked on, and did not meet manufacturer's specifications. The helicopter manufacturer stated that this would not induce a 'hard over.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.