Rotorway EXEC 162F N21901

Summary

On 6 April 2000 at about 15:00 local time, a Rotorway EXEC 162F registered N21901 was involved in an accident near Chandler, Arizona, United States. 2 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

6 April 2000 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Chandler, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Memorial

Coordinates

33.2709, -111.9397

Aircraft

Rotorway EXEC 162F

Registration

N21901

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA173

Nobody was injured.

The inadequate maintenance inspection of the secondary shaft which resulted in its fatigue failure that emanated from a corroded circumferential score mark. A factor was the fence that the pilot flared to avoid, resulting in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter landed hard collapsing the left skid and resulting in the main rotor blades striking the tail boom. While in the traffic pattern, during the downwind leg, the pilot heard a loud noise from the rear of the helicopter. He entered an autorotation and checked the cockpit instruments. Noting no anomalies, he rolled on the throttle and discovered that the engine speed would increase but the rotor speed would not. The pilot flared to avoid a fence then landed hard. Subsequent examination of the engine secondary shaft that transmits power to the main rotor through drive belts revealed that the shaft had failed in fatigue. There were numerous longitudinal and circumferential score marks on the secondary shaft indicating removal and reinstallation of the shaft many times. The fatigue fracture originated at one of the circumferential score marks and exhibited oxidation, indicating it had been fractured for some time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.