Hughes OH-6A N6638R
27 December 1998 · Laredo, Texas, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 27 December 1998 at about 17:58 local time, a Hughes OH-6A registered N6638R was involved in an accident near Laredo, Texas, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 17:58
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Laredo, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 27.5099, -99.5006
- Aircraft
- Hughes OH-6A
- Registration
- N6638R
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW99GA061
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The loss of engine power as result of the failure of the power turbine governor. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain available to the pilot for the forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The engine decelerated and the pilot heard the sound of the engine out audio and observed the red engine out warning light illuminated. When the pilot lowered the collective to enter an autorotation, the engine and rotor RPM increased. The pilot then rolled the throttle off to regain control of the engine RPM. During touchdown, the helicopter landed hard, and the main rotor blades contacted the tailboom. A test run of the engine in a test cell revealed that the engine RPM was not controllable above flight idle, and the engine had a tendency to overspeed and overtemp when the power was advanced. The engine power turbine governor was removed and replaced with an operational unit. The engine operated within normal operational parameters after the governor was replaced. Examination concluded that the failure of the governor's drive shaft bearings resulted in excessive radial and axial play of the drive shaft, which led to a reduced fuel flow to the engine.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes OH-6A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 1998 | Hughes OH-6A | Newark, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Jun 1999 | Hughes OH-6A | Tucson, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Apr 1997 | Hughes OH-6A | Marfa, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jul 1999 | Hughes OH-6A | Aguadilla, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 1999 | Hughes OH-6A | Hernando, Mississippi, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 1999 | Hughes OH-6A | Chesterfield, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jan 1998 | Beechcraft V35 | Seguin, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Jan 1998 | Poling KELEHER LARK KR1B | Georgetown, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Jan 1998 | Cessna 140A | Justin, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1998 | Bell 206L-3 | Reklaw, Texas, United States | U.s. Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1998 | Jodel F11-3 | Beeville, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 29 Aug 1998 | Piper PA-28-235 | Mineola, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |