Bell UH-1B N64RA

Summary

On 30 June 2008 at about 06:30 local time, a Bell UH-1B registered N64RA, operated by Pollux Avaition LTD, was involved in an accident near Iliamna, Alaska, 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

30 June 2008 at 06:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Iliamna, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Iliamna (IlI)

Coordinates

61.2706, -149.7898

Aircraft

Bell UH-1B

Registration

N64RA

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Pollux Avaition LTD

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Platinum → Iliamna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC08LA083

Nobody was injured.

The failure of company maintenance personnel to ensure the helicopter was properly maintained, resulting in a severe in-flight vibration due to collective bounce. Contributing to the accident was loose and worn bearings on the helicopter's stabilizer bar, swashplate, flight control tube assemblies, and the right and left hydraulic servos.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot said that as the helicopter approached the destination airport during a Part 91 repositioning flight, he elected to make a practice autorotation to the runway. As he lowered the collective to enter the autorotation, the helicopter began to vibrate violently. He continued the autorotation to runway, and stated that during the landing flare the helicopter's tail boom contacted the runway, the helicopter rocked forward, and the landing gear skids struck the ground. The hard landing resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, tail boom assembly, and main rotor transmission supports. A maintenance technician that did a postaccident inspection of the helicopter discovered loose and worn bearings on the helicopter's stabilizer bar, swashplate, flight control tube assemblies, and the right and left hydraulic servos. In a written report the maintenance technician reported that the mechanical discrepancies he discovered during his inspection were, in part: "noted as being the root cause of the vertical vibration..."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.