Hughes OH-6A N13SD

Summary

On 29 November 2002 at about 22:50 local time, a Hughes OH-6A registered N13SD was involved in an accident near Snohomish, Washington, 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

29 November 2002 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Snohomish, Washington, United States

Coordinates

47.9581, -122.0231

Aircraft

Hughes OH-6A

Registration

N13SD

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Public Use

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Snohomish → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03TA014

Nobody was injured.

Loss of engine power for undetermined reasons while in cruise flight. A tree was a factor.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that about five minutes after departure, in cruise flight, at 100 knots and 1,000 feet msl, the engine rpm fluctuated with a noticeable engine noise reduction. Subsequently N2 rapidly decelerated and the helicopter yawed to the left. The pilot initiated an autorotation, however, due to heavily wooded terrain, the pilot had to maneuver around obstructions to a landing site. During the maneuver, the helicopter collided with a tree branch which broke the chin bubble. At approximately 100 feet agl, the pilot started the deceleration. Approximately 30 feet agl, the forward airspeed was at or near zero. The helicopter descended faster than the pilot anticipated as he pulled in collective to slow the descent and then a significant amount of collective to cushion the landing. The helicopter landed with more force than normal and the helicopter rolled to the right after landing. The right side fore and aft skid legs collapsed at the mid point of the struts and the helicopter came to rest on its right side. The engine was inspected and subsequently removed for an engine test cell run. During the engine test cell run, the engine was found to be making more than rated horsepower at all points.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.