Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Fallbrook, California 92028
Thursday, May 4, 2006 9:30 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The helicopter collided with trees following a failure of the engine to transmission drive shaft. After finishing a final rinse load for the agricultural spray operation, the pilots began the short return flight back to a trailer. While maneuvering about 20 feet above ground level (agl), and about 5 feet above the treetops, the helicopter made an uncommanded yaw and settled into the trees. A post accident examination revealed that the engine to transmission drive shaft (short shaft) was separated at the forward coupling flange, adjacent to the transmission. Investigators removed the rust-covered engine to transmission drive shaft forward coupling from the gear. The retainer ring, packing seal, and drive shaft coupling seal were not attached to the coupling and dangling loosely on the drive shaft tube. A visual examination of the internal coupling revealed that grease retainer plate had a shiny polished appearance from the gear sprocket making repetitive contact with its surface. The engine to transmission drive shaft forward gear sprocket teeth were not present, as a result of overheating and persistent contact, which had worn them smooth. On the face of the gear sprocket there was a semicircular indentation that had the shape and dimension consistent with that of a partial impression of the spring that is normally inside the coupling. Pieces of the spring were found deformed in the aft coupling housing. There was no evidence of grease in the forward coupling, and the aft coupling contained grease that was dirty and black. The operator's component card record for the engine to transmission drive shaft indicated that it was last inspected about 2 months prior to the accident at which time a mechanic repacked the couplings with grease. The helicopter's applicable Maintenance Manual indicated that every 600-hour or 12-month period (whichever occurs first) the main drive shaft component should be inspected.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Failure of the engine to transmission drive shaft forward coupling due to overheating from lack of lubrication. The cause of the lack of lubrication was a result of improper maintenance. A factor was the trees.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/4/2006 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 930 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | Fallbrook |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 92028 |
| Event Date Year | 2006 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 332600N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1171500W |
| 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 | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | -- |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | -- |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | -- |
| 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) | 8 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 270 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 2 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 21283 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 4 2006 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 25 2007 2:54PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\lema |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | WP-SAN-FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N2763R |
| NTSB Number | LAX06LA161 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 137: Agricultural |
| 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 | 206B3 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 2743 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3200 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| 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 | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 1 2006 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 37.5 |
| Airframe Hours | 15437.5 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Pacific Rotors, Inc. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 2650 Hope St. |
| Aircraft Owner City | Oceanside |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 92086 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| 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 | NJDG |
| 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) | Aerial Application |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | -- |
| Departure City | Fallbrook |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 925 |
| 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 | Mar 21 2007 6:32PM |
| User who most recently changed record | COOS |
| 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 | -- |