Bell 206 N395AE

Summary

On 15 April 2019 at about 07:51 local time, a Bell 206 registered N395AE, operated by Air Evac Ems Inc, was involved in an accident near Dublin, Georgia, United States. 3 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

15 April 2019 at 07:51

Classification

Accident

Location

Dublin, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Fairview Park Hospital (48GA)

Coordinates

32.0000, -82.0000

Aircraft

Bell 206

Registration

N395AE

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Air Evac Ems Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dublin → Macon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA19LA152

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power on takeoff due to separation of the diffuser assembly as a result of incomplete braze joint surfaces on the vane airfoils.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot said that he heard a noise from the engine deck followed by a "clicking" noise as he was starting to accelerate the helicopter forward on takeoff. The helicopter immediately began to descend then impacted the ground and bounced before coming to rest upright. The main rotor blades flexed and severed the vertical stabilizer. Examination of the engine's compressor section revealed the diffuser had separated into two sections, exposing the vanes. The diffuser is comprised of individual vanes that are brazed between two annular plates and a third support ring to form one solid diffuser assembly. Metallurgical examination of the separated plate and ring section revealed that the ring section separated through the braze joint at the forward interfaces of the vanes due to a large amount of incomplete braze joint surfaces on the vane airfoils. The vane assembly was marked with a Federal Aviation Administration parts manufacturing approval number. A search of the manufacturing history of the diffuser revealed that the part was sold to a turbine engine overhaul company about 13 years before the accident. The diffuser, which was zero-timed, was installed in the compressor and sent to the operator. A review of the engine logbook revealed that the diffuser had not been removed/repaired since it was installed on that date and that it had accrued a total of 5,763.1 hours at the time it failed. According to the company that sold the diffuser to the overhauler, any manufacturing history on the diffuser was no longer available due to the company’s 10-year retention policy for manufacturing records.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.