Mosquito XE CF-HEZ

Summary

On 1 August 2014 at about 19:15 local time, a Mosquito XE registered CF-HEZ was involved in an accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States. One person was 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

1 August 2014 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH)

Coordinates

44.0242, -88.5611

Aircraft

Mosquito XE

Registration

CF-HEZ

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oshkosh → Oshkosh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA401

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the retaining assembly on the tail rotor blade, which resulted in the separation of the blade and the subsequent loss of helicopter control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Just after takeoff, the experimental, amateur-built helicopter started to rotate and then impacted the ground in a level attitude, which resulted in substantial damage to the helicopter. Examination revealed that one tail rotor blade had separated from the tail rotor and gearbox assembly and that the blade had separated cleanly from the assembly; neither the collar nor the pins used to secure the blade were located. The pilot reported that he had been testing this tail rotor design for 4 years. A tension/torsion strap and two steel pins were used to retain the blade. The strap was not completely restricted from movement, and, over time, movement and wear resulted in the failure of the retaining assembly. The tail rotor assembly was a unique design and was not used in any other application.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.