Bell 222 N29KH
30 July 2003 · Salinas, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 30 July 2003 at about 17:56 local time, a Bell 222 registered N29KH was involved in an incident near Salinas, California, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:56
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Salinas, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Salinas Muni (SNS)
- Coordinates
- 36.6500, -121.6000
- Aircraft
- Bell 222
- Registration
- N29KH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Hollister → Salinas
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX03IA252
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The fatigue failure (fracture) of the right forward transmission lift link during cruise flight, which resulted in a severe vibration and an emergency landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial helicopter pilot reported that while in cruise flight, the helicopter developed a severe vibration. The vibration was so extreme that he was not able to read any of his flight instruments. He declared an emergency, started a slow descent, and made a run-on landing to a dirt field. A post-incident inspection revealed that the right forward transmission lift link had failed at the lower rod end assembly. The failure point was in the threaded area of the rod end. The total time on the failed part (p/n 222-331-626-105) was 3,890.8 hours total time since new. The lift link assembly was the original part installed on the incident helicopter. The lift link assembly was shipped to the National Transportation Safety Board, Materials Laboratory and forwarded to Bell Helicopters for further analysis. It was determined that the link fracture was a result of fatigue in a thread root of the lower elastometric rod end bearing housing. No material discrepancies or deficiencies were found in the rod end bearing housing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 222 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep 2004 | Bell 222U | Santa Rosa, California, United States | California Shock-Trauma Air Rescue | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 2002 | Bell 222U | Nipton, California, United States | Mercy Air Service Inc | Fatal | 3 |
| 14 Jul 2004 | Bell 222U | Louie Lake, Idaho, United States | CJ Systems Aviation Group, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 6 Apr 2001 | Bell 222UT | Alcova, Wyoming, United States | Corporate Jets, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 2006 | Bell 222B | Gulf of Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 2000 | Bell 222U | St. Paul, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan 2003 | Cessna 414 | Palm Springs, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 2003 | Omf OMF-100-160 | Van Nuys, California, United States | Alliance International | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2003 | Cessna 152 | Salinas, California, United States | Squadron 2 | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 2003 | Beechcraft A36TC | Visalia, California, United States | John Rodgers | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Sep 2003 | Cessna 150F | Reedley, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 2003 | McClanahan STITS PLAYMATE SA-11 | Fontana, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |