Bell TH-13T N38CD
21 August 2003 · Light, Arkansas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 21 August 2003 at about 16:00 local time, a Bell TH-13T registered N38CD, operated by Songer, Harvey, was involved in an accident near Light, Arkansas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. 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 16:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Light, Arkansas, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.1167, -90.7500
- Aircraft
- Bell TH-13T
- Registration
- N38CD
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Songer, Harvey
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fontaine → Delaplaine
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI03FA277
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The total failure and seizure of the main rotor transmission while in cruise flight leading to the helicopter’s impact with terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter sustained substantial damage when it impacted the terrain during a positioning flight. After spraying a field, the pilot landed, refueled, and completed a preflight inspection of the helicopter. The pilot then departed to spray another field. The pilot reported that during the agricultural flight there were no changes in the sound of the transmission or any other part of the helicopter. The helicopter impacted the terrain while in cruise flight and the pilot had no recollection of the accident. The inspection of the helicopter revealed that the transmission failed in-flight. Three worn and deformed lower pinion roller bearings from the lower planetary gear spider assembly were found loose in the transmission. The inner race for that pinion had missing rollers. It was spalled at both the upper row and lower row of its rollers. No spalling was found on the other five inner races from the lower spider assembly and no abnormal wear was found on rollers from the other pinions in the lower spider assembly.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell TH-13T accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jul 2002 | Bell TH-13T | New Iberia, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Apr 1997 | Bell TH-13T | Capitan, New Mexico, United States | U.s Department of Agriculture | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 1996 | Bell TH-13T | Mandan, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 1992 | Bell TH-13T | Lake Wales, Florida, United States | Polk Co. Environmental SER. | Unknown | - |
| 19 May 1990 | Bell TH-13T | Biloxi, Mississippi, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 1989 | Bell TH-13T | Jay, Florida, United States | Stewart, Michael | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 2003 | Cessna A188B | McGehee, Arkansas, United States | Alan Buford | No injuries | - |
| 28 Sep 2003 | Cessna 150L | Siloam Springs, Arkansas, United States | Plane Krazy Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 2003 | Cessna 182S | Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Jul 2003 | Mikoyan MIG-15BIS | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 2003 | Ayres S2R-T660 | Blytheville, Arkansas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2003 | Dromader M-18 | Dumas, Arkansas, United States | Perkins Aircraft Services Inc | No injuries | - |