McDonnell Douglas 369E N819CE

Summary

On 8 October 2000 at about 00:40 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 369E registered N819CE was involved in an accident near Kernville, California, 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

8 October 2000 at 00:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Kernville, California, United States

Coordinates

35.7297, -118.3898

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas 369E

Registration

N819CE

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Big Creek → Ontario

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX01FA006

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's improper storage of personal items and his inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in the unlatching of the left rear cabin door during flight and allowing a plastic garment bag to blow out and strike the tail rotor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter rolled over during an emergency landing following a severe vibration and loss of antitorque control. The pilot stated that he was descending from 7,500 feet msl with an indicated airspeed of 125 knots in mountainous terrain and light turbulence. The first indication of trouble was a loud snap sound from the rear of the helicopter, followed by violent airframe vibrations. The pilot reported that there were no unusual vibrations in any of the controls. He made a right turn to land on the best available terrain. As the turn was completed, antitorque control was lost, and the helicopter began a series of rapid clockwise spins. The helicopter spun at least three times before impact. Examination of the helicopter revealed a torsional failure of the tail rotor drive shaft at 8 inches forward of the aft Kamatics coupling. This failure is consistent with a tail rotor sudden stoppage. Leading edge tail rotor blade damage was observed to both blades, with red and blue color and material transfers evident. Examination of the tail rotor blade leading edges by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometer of the accumulation revealed the material to be of a cellophane base. The pilot reported that prior to departure from Big Creek, he placed a red and blue checkered shirt contained in a plastic bag on the rear seat with other personal baggage. He speculated that during his descent from 7,500 feet, he had experienced some turbulence and the left rear door may have popped open. Neither the bag nor the shirt was recovered at the accident site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.