Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Kamuela, Hawaii 96743
Friday, December 4, 1992 7:18 HST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
WHILE ON A SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT, THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. THE PILOT EXECUTED AN AUTOROTATION TO A NEARBY ROAD. ON TOUCH DOWN THE HELICOPTER YAWED TO THE LEFT AND SKIDDED OFF THE ROAD BUCKLING THE LEFT SKID. THE ENGINE EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THAT THE TURBINE WHEELS SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE HIGH TEMPERATURE DISTRESS. THE FUEL CONTROL EXCEEDED ITS SERVICE LIMITS ON THE START AND ACCELERATION SCHEDULES. THE FUEL FILTER VALVE WAS FOUND IN THE BYPASS POSITION WITH ITS SPRING RUSTED AND THE VALVE SEAT CONTAINED DIRT PARTICLES. THE TURBINE OUTLET TEMPERATURE INDICATOR GAVE FALSE INDICATIONS, A LOWER THAN APPLIED TEMPERATURE, THROUGHOUT ITS OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS WHICH EXCEEDED THE SERVICABLE TOLERANCES.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE INADEQUATE 100-HOUR INSPECTION PERFORMED BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT ARE THE FUEL CONTROL EXCEEDING THE MANUFACTURERS' SERVICE LIMITS; THE INOPERATIVE FUEL FILTER; THE OVERTEMPERATURE OF THE GAS GENERATOR TURBINE AND FREE TURBINE WHEELS; AND THE FALSE INDICATIONS OF THE TURBINE OUTLET TEMPERATURE INDICATOR.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/4/1992 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 718 |
| Event Time Zone | Hawaii Standard Time |
| Event City | KAMUELA |
| Event State | HAWAII |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 96743 |
| Event Date Year | 1992 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| 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 | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 718 Hawaii Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 90 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | BSF |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 6100 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | HST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 5000 |
| 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) | 20 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 7 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 5 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 110 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| 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 | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 878 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 4 1992 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1045 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 50040 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 3:30PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N9230F |
| NTSB Number | LAX93LA062 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | HUGHES |
| Aircraft Model | 369C |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 369C |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 11406645 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2550 |
| 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 | 5 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Dec 1 1992 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | MAUNA KEA HELICOPTERS, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 1713 |
| Aircraft Owner City | KAMUELA |
| Aircraft Owner State | HI |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 96743 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | MAUNA KEA HELICOPTERS, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | P.O. BOX 1713 |
| Operator City | KAMUELA |
| Operator State | HI |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 96743 |
| Operator Code | MUNA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| 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 | Non-scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 703 |
| Departure Time Zone | HST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| 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 | -- |