Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Unknown Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Vero Beach, Florida 32963
Tuesady, March 12, 1991 9:00 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF AT 40 FT AGL, THE PLT STATED THAT HE OBSERVED THE HIGH/LOW ROTOR/ENG WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED & THE HELICOPTER ENTERED AN UNCOMMANDED RT YAW. HE ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION & WHILE DESCENDING, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED TREES. HE PULLED COLLECTIVE PITCH BEFORE IMPACT WITH TERRAIN. EXAM OF THE HELICOPTER REVEALED THAT THE UPPER RT TAILBOOM ATTACH BOLT WAS STRIPPED WHICH ALLOWED THE TAILBOOM TO SHIFT RESULTING IN THE SEPARATION OF THE NOS. 1 & 2 TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT SECTIONS AT THE COUPLING. EXAM OF THE STRIPPED BOLT BY A QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL REVEALED THAT IT FAILED DUE TO BEING OVERTORQUED. THE COMPANY MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TAILBOOM ATTACH BOLTS ARE CHECKED FOR PROPER TORQUE EVERY 100 HRS & WAS LAST ACCOMPLISHED ABOUT 55 HRS EARLIER.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
IMPROPER MAINTENANCE ADJUSTMENT BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL RESULTING IN OVERTORQUE OF A TAILBOOM ATTACH BOLT WHICH ALLOWED THE TAILBOOM TO SHIFT. THIS DISENGAGED THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT AT A COUPLING RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR DRIVE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 3/12/1991 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 900 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | VERO BEACH |
| Event State | FLORIDA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 32963 |
| Event Date Year | 1991 |
| Event Date Month | 3 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | UNKNOWN |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | NONE |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 853 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 47 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | VRB |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 25 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 5 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 30000 |
| 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) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| 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 | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 416 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 43703 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 9:33AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N9687R |
| NTSB Number | MIA91LA113 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 137: Agricultural |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BELL |
| Aircraft Model | UH-1B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | UH-1B |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 62-12529 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 8300 |
| 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 | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Aug 28 1990 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 55 |
| Airframe Hours | 7047 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | COLONY SERVICES, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P. O. BOX 1589 |
| Aircraft Owner City | LA BELLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | FL |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 33935 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | COLONY SERVICES, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | P. O. BOX 1589 |
| Operator City | LA BELLE |
| Operator State | FL |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 33935 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Agriculture |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Unknown |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Unknown |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Unknown |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Aerial Application |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 900 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| 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 | Takeoff |
| 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 | -- |