Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Keller, Washington 99140
Tuesady, September 11, 1990 17:46 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING FIRE FIGHTING MULTIPLE WATER DROPS USING AN EXTERNAL LOAD 'BAMBI BUCKET'. EARLY THAT DAY THE BUCKET'S CINCH STRAP HAD BEEN REPLACED. ON THIS DROP THE PILOT RADIOED THAT HE WAS HEAVY...3600 POUNDS. A PUFF OF SMOKE WAS OBSERVED, AND THE HELICOPTER CRASHED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A LOSS OF POWER HAD OCCURRED DUE TO THE LOSS OF ALL 2ND TURBINE ROTOR BLADES, PRECIPITATED BY A STRESS RUPTURE FAILURE OF 3 CONSECUTIVE BLADES INDUCED BY HIGH OPERATING TEMPERATURES. THE CINCH STRAP WAS BOUGHT AT A HARDWARE OR SPORTING GOODS STORE - IT WAS NOT THAT PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURER. DISASSEMBLY OF THE BUCKET CONTROL HEAD WIRING ASSEMBLY REVEALED EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT INTERMITTENT OPERATION.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO TURBINE BLADE SEPARATION WHILE THE PILOT WAS OPERATING IN THE AIRCRAFT AT A GROSS WEIGHT THAT EXCEEDED PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS FOR EXISTING METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. FACTORS INCLUDE THE FAILURE OR INABILITY TO JETTISON THE EXTERNAL LOAD, THE USE OF AN IMPROPER CINCH STRAP, AND AN IMPROPERLY ASSEMBLED AND MAINTAINED WIRING CONNECTOR.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/11/1990 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1746 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | KELLER |
| Event State | WASHINGTON |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99140 |
| Event Date Year | 1990 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| 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 | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1700 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 2000 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 32 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 21 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 225 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 9 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 6029 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 11 1990 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1855 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 43971 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2002 11:28AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\GIUV |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | CGKQH |
| NTSB Number | SEA90GA180 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BELL |
| Aircraft Model | 204B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 204B |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 2006 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 8500 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | Foreign Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 11 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Aug 24 1990 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 16 |
| Airframe Hours | 18980 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CAN-ARC HELICOPTERS LTD |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 5333-216 ST. |
| Aircraft Owner City | LANGLEY, BC,CD |
| Aircraft Owner State | OF |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | V3A4R1 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | CAZN-ARC HELICOPTERS, LTD |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 5333-216 ST. |
| Operator City | LANGLEY, BC,CD |
| Operator State | OF |
| 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 | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1639 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| 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 | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |