Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Light, Arkansas 72439
Thursday, August 21, 2003 11:00 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The helicopter sustained substantial damage when it impacted the terrain during a positioning flight. After spraying a field, the pilot landed, refueled, and completed a preflight inspection of the helicopter. The pilot then departed to spray another field. The pilot reported that during the agricultural flight there were no changes in the sound of the transmission or any other part of the helicopter. The helicopter impacted the terrain while in cruise flight and the pilot had no recollection of the accident. The inspection of the helicopter revealed that the transmission failed in-flight. Three worn and deformed lower pinion roller bearings from the lower planetary gear spider assembly were found loose in the transmission. The inner race for that pinion had missing rollers. It was spalled at both the upper row and lower row of its rollers. No spalling was found on the other five inner races from the lower spider assembly and no abnormal wear was found on rollers from the other pinions in the lower spider assembly.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The total failure and seizure of the main rotor transmission while in cruise flight leading to the helicopter’s impact with terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/21/2003 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1100 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Light |
| Event State | ARKANSAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 72439 |
| Event Date Year | 2003 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 360700N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0904500W |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Time of the weather observation | 1055 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 315 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ARG |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 273 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 11 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 30 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 25 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 170 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 7 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.04 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 15828 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 21 2003 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1503 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 29 2004 7:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | FAA-Little Rock FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N38CD |
| NTSB Number | CHI03FA277 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Bell |
| Aircraft Model | TH-13T |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 3680 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2850 |
| 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 | 3 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 16 2003 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 70 |
| Airframe Hours | 6005.1 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Couch Helicopter Services |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 10 Lawrence Rd. CR 724 |
| Aircraft Owner City | Walnut Ridge |
| Aircraft Owner State | AR |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 72476 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | SONGER, HARVEY |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 4685 HWY 228 |
| Operator City | Bono |
| Operator State | AR |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 72416 |
| Operator Code | NOSG |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Agriculture |
| 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) | Positioning |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | -- |
| Departure City | Fontaine |
| Departure State | AR |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1045 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | Delaplaine |
| Destination State | AR |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering - aerial application |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 18 2004 4:19PM |
| User who most recently changed record | SULP |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |