McDonnell Douglas 600 N608BP

Summary

On 20 February 2009 at about 03:30 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 600 registered N608BP, operated by United States Customs and Border Protection, was involved in an accident near San Clemente, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured, 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

20 February 2009 at 03:30

Classification

Accident

Location

San Clemente, California, United States

Coordinates

32.3686, -117.5547

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas 600

Registration

N608BP

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

United States Customs and Border Protection

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long Beach → San Diego

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR09GA119

2 people were seriously injured.

Failure of the engine’s number two bearing during cruise flight, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight the helicopter experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot performed an autorotation, maneuvering the helicopter to avoid obstacles. The helicopter sustained substantial damage after landing hard, semi-submerged in the surf zone of a beach. During the landing sequence, a main rotor blade made contact with the tail boom and the helicopter sustained crush damage to the lower fuselage. Post accident examination of the airframe did not reveal evidence of any failure or malfunction. Examination of the engine revealed a failure of the number two bearing, resulting in a subsequent failure of the engine’s gas generator and power turbine sections. Examination of the bearing revealed signatures consistent with the inner and outer bearing races experiencing misalignment. The misalignment resulted in the associated balls becoming mechanically locked against the ball cage, leading to raceway compromise, heat damage, and bearing failure. As a result of this accident, and other in-service wear issues related to the number two bearing, the engine manufacturer has embarked on a bearing redesign process for this engine series.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.