Eurocopter AS 350 B3 N808LF

Summary

On 27 July 2011 at about 22:40 local time, a Eurocopter AS 350 B3 registered N808LF, operated by Air Methods, was involved in an accident near Troutdale, Oregon, United States. 4 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

27 July 2011 at 22:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Troutdale, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Portland-Troutdale (TTD)

Coordinates

45.5492, -122.3992

Aircraft

Eurocopter AS 350 B3

Registration

N808LF

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Air Methods

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Aurora → Dallesport

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA352

Nobody was injured.

The in-flight separation of the tail rotor drive shaft cover as a result of maintenance personnel not ensuring that it was secured after a maintenance inspection; also causal was the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection of the helicopter.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, about 12 minutes into a repositioning flight following a maintenance task performed by a company mechanic, he felt something that he described as similar to a bird strike. The pilot subsequently elected to make a precautionary landing in order to assess the situation. During an examination of the helicopter after the uneventful landing, the pilot discovered that a portion of the tail rotor drive shaft cover was missing and that one main rotor blade and two tail rotor blades had been damaged. Postaccident discussions with the company’s director of maintenance determined that the maintenance staff (who had recently performed a maintenance inspection) and the pilot likely looked at the tail rotor drive shaft cover prior to the accident flight and presumed that it was secure or had been secured by someone else; however, it was not secure and came off during flight. Following the accident, the company implemented a primary mechanic position into its Field Mechanic Procedures in order to mitigate a similar occurrence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.