Bell M74L N1001N

Summary

On 31 July 1998 at about 23:30 local time, a Bell M74L registered N1001N was involved in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. One person was 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

31 July 1998 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States

Coordinates

47.9091, -97.0693

Aircraft

Bell M74L

Registration

N1001N

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI98LA292

Nobody was injured.

The worn rotor clutch shoes, and subsequent loss of main rotor rpm.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot refilled the hopper and was in the middle of a swath run when the engine rpm increased and the main rotor rpm decreased. The helicopter impacted the terrain during the forced landing and rolled over. A teardown of the transmission was performed. The inspection revealed that the clutch shoes were worn to the point that there was metal to metal contacted between the clutch shoe and the drum.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.