Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Graefenburg, Kentucky 40601
Friday, August 7, 1992 11:10 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
BEFORE FLT, THE COPLT BGN A PREFLT INSPN, & SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER WAS MVD FM THE HANGAR TO THE TERMINAL, WHERE A WITNESS OBSERVED THE ENG COWLING OPEN. THE PLT ALSO MADE A WALKAROUND VISUAL INSPN OF THE HELICOPTER BFR FLT. NEITHER OF THE FLTCREW NOTED ANY DISCREPANCY. ABT 1 MIN & 40 SEC AFTER TAKEOFF, THE FLT CREW HEARD A NOISE, FLWD BY LOSS OF DRCTNL CTL; 3 OF THE PSGRS NOTED THE ODOR OF SOMETHING OVERHEATING. AN AUTOROTATION & LANDING WERE MADE ON HILLY TRRN, WHERE THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST IN A RAVINE AGAINST A TREE. DRG AN EXAM, THE 2 LEFT SIDE ENG COWLING LATCHES WERE FND OPEN; ALSO, THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AFT ENG COWLING WAS OPEN. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT DURING FLT, THE LEFT SIDE OF THE COWLING CONTACTED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES; THE COWLING THEN MADE CONTACT WITH SECTION II OF THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVESHAFT. FRICTION BTN THE COWLING & THE DRIVESHAFT RESULTED IN LOCALIZED HIGH TEMPERATURE & THE TAIL ROTOR SHAFT FAILED AT THAT LOCATION. ONE OF THE 4 TAIL ROTOR BLADES SEPARATED DURING THE OCCURRENCE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
AN INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION BY THE FLIGHT CREW BY FAILING TO ASSURE THAT ALL FOUR OF THE ENGINE COWLING LATCHES WERE PROPERLY SECURED, WHICH RESULTED IN SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF SECTION II OF THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVESHAFT AFTER THE COWLING CONTACTED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES AND TAIL ROTOR DRIVESHAFT.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/7/1992 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1110 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | GRAEFENBURG |
| Event State | KENTUCKY |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 40601 |
| Event Date Year | 1992 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1050 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 115 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | LEX |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 980 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 20 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 10000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 4 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 22 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 19 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 140 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 5 |
| Injury Total All | 6 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 938 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 7 1992 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1120 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 46648 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 3:13PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N50KY |
| NTSB Number | NYC92GA147 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | SIKORSKY |
| Aircraft Model | S-76A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | S-76A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 760059 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 10500 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 8 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | May 29 1992 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 46 |
| Airframe Hours | 3950 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUKY |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 90 AIRPORT RD. |
| Aircraft Owner City | FRANKFORT |
| Aircraft Owner State | KY |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 40601 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Public Use |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | FFT |
| Departure City | FRANKFORT |
| Departure State | KY |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1106 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | FTK |
| Destination City | FT KNOX |
| Destination State | KY |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |