Hughes 500D N315SH
5 July 2011 · McGrath, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 5 July 2011 at about 03:15 local time, a Hughes 500D registered N315SH, operated by Soloy Helicopters LLC, was involved in an incident near McGrath, Alaska, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 03:15
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- McGrath, Alaska, United States
- Nearest airport
- McGrath (PAMC)
- Coordinates
- 62.8733, -155.6514
- Aircraft
- Hughes 500D
- Registration
- N315SH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Soloy Helicopters LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- McGrath → McGrath
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC11IA059
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
A fatigue fracture of the governor-to-fuel control Pc line, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that during a descent, the helicopter's engine sound changed abruptly and was immediately followed by the engine-out audio horn, and a red engine-out annunciator light. She entered an emergency autorotation, and then selected a mostly open area that contained some trees as an emergency landing site. During the emergency landing, the main rotor blades struck several small trees as the helicopter touched down on the uneven, tundra-covered terrain. A postincident inspection revealed a fatigue fracture in the engine Pc line that provided compressed air to operate the engine governor and fuel control units. The Pc line met the metallurgical material specifications, but there was a bend in a normally straight portion of the line, which would have placed stress on the Pc line when installed. The additional stress likely resulted in the eventual fatigue failure of the line. It could not be determined how or when the bend occurred.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Hughes 500 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 2011 | Hughes 500D | Ambler, Alaska, United States | Prism Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 12 Nov 2011 | Hughes 500 | Andratx, Spain | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 6 May 2010 | Hughes 500 | West Palm Beach, Florida, United States | County of Gwinnett Georgia | No injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 2013 | Hughes 500D | Delta Junction, Alaska, United States | Soloy Helicopters LLC | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2005 | Hughes 500D | Ambler, Alaska, United States | Prism Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 2004 | Hughes 500D | Iliamna, Alaska, United States | Prism Helicopters Ltd | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Aug 2011 | De Havilland DHC-2 MK. I(L20A) | Northway, Alaska, United States | Copper Valley Air Service LLC | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2011 | Piper PA-18-180 | Valdez, Alaska, United States | Erik F. Hursh | No injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 2011 | Piper PA-20 | Tyonek, Alaska, United States | Randy F. Stahl | No injuries | - |
| 29 Nov 2011 | Cessna 207 | Chuathbaluk, Alaska, United States | Inland Aviation | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Nov 2011 | Cessna A185F | Talkeetna, Alaska, United States | Sheldon Air Service | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 2011 | Cessna 180H | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | Russey Reagan | No injuries | - |