Eurocopter EC130 N11QK

Summary

On 5 March 2020 at about 21:30 local time, a Eurocopter EC130 registered N11QK, operated by Helicopter Consultanats of Maui LLC, was involved in an accident near Kalapana, Hawaii, United States. 6 people were on board and 2 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

5 March 2020 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Kalapana, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

19.4386, -155.0000

Aircraft

Eurocopter EC130

Registration

N11QK

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2002

Operator

Helicopter Consultanats of Maui LLC

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hilo → Hilo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC20LA028

2 people had minor injuries.

A loss of control due to the fatigue fracture of a tail rotor fenestron blade due to the geometry of the water drain hole positioning on the rib.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a precautionary landing following the onset of a significant, high frequency vibration. As the helicopter slowed, he raised the collective and applied right tail rotor pedal, but the nose of the helicopter veered to the left. The pilot eventually applied full right tail rotor pedal, but the nose of the helicopter continued to the left. About 200 feet above ground level, with the right tail rotor pedal fully depressed, the helicopter began to spin to the left. The pilot attempted to stop the spin to no avail and eventually closed the throttle and performed a hovering autorotation. He stated that the helicopter descended, touched down hard, and subsequently rolled onto its right side, sustaining substantial damage. A postaccident examination revealed that one of the 10 tail rotor fenestron blades had been liberated at the blade root, at the level of the blade’s drain port; the blade root remained attached and installed to the fenestron hub. Visual examination of the nine remaining blades revealed three that had cracks aligned with the drain hole with features consistent with fatigue. The investigation determined that the ruptured blade failure was a fatigue fracture that originated near the blade’s drain hole; however, the fracture surface’s origins were damaged, and the type of failure near the point of origin could not be determined. The water drain hole geometry and rib thickness were determined by the manufacturer to be the main factors in the development of the crack. Additional factors include blade loading stresses that were not anticipated during certification, and helicopter operations that involve sideslip maneuvers.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.