The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Atlanta, Georgia
Location: Hampton, GA
Accident Number: ERA19LA173
Date & Time: 05/15/2019, 1600 EDT
Registration: N9442F
Aircraft: Hughes 269B
Injuries: 1 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On May 15, 2019, about 1600 eastern daylight time, a Hughes 269B helicopter, N9442F, was substantially damaged after it experienced ground resonance while on a taxiway at Henry County Airport (HMP), in Hampton, Georgia. The airline transport pilot was not injured. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter was taxiing from a fueling location to a hangar at HMP and operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported that he had purchased the helicopter about a week prior to the accident. He said that an annual inspection was performed shortly after the purchase, with no issues noted. According to his recollection, no maintenance was required or performed on any of the 4 landing skid damper units.
While taxing to his hangar after refueling, the pilot noticed a vibration and loss of power. He advised that he was a student helicopter pilot and was not completely familiar with the types of vibrations that were "normal" versus those that were not, and he had discussed this with his instructor on previous flights. As he set the helicopter down, it "experienced ground resonance." He attempted to lift the helicopter back into a hover but it "did not have enough power to get airborne again.'" He then elected to shut the helicopter down while it continued in ground resonance.
An examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the tailboom was fractured and separated aft of the tailboom support brackets. The tail rotor blades were largely undamaged. The "blue" main rotor blade damper body attachment bracket was damaged, and the damper arm attachment bracket was fractured. All flight controls appeared intact. The engine's No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve pushrod was found slightly bent.
According to the pilot/owner, the engine had been operated about 184 hours since overhaul. The most recent annual inspection was performed on May 10, 2019, at which time the helicopter had accumulated a total of 5,249 hours.
According to FAA airman records, the pilot held an airline transport pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and multi-engine land. He reported 5,200 hours of total flight experience the day after the accident, when he renewed his FAA first class medical certificate. Regarding his helicopter flight experience, the pilot indicated that he had a student certificate for rotorcraft and had accumulated a total of 27 hours of helicopter flight time, of which 17 hours were in the same make and model as the accident helicopter.
At 1615, the weather conditions reported at Griffin-Spalding County Airport (6A2), Griffin, Georgia, located about 10 miles south of HMP, included wind from 270° at 5 knots, temperature 24° C, dew point 8° C.
The helicopter was retained for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: Hughes
Registration: N9442F
Model/Series: 269B No Series
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: K6A2, 959 ft msl
Observation Time: 1615 EDT
Distance from Accident Site: 10 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 24°C / 8°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 5 knots / , 270°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.03 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Hampton, GA (HMP)
Destination: Hampton, GA (HMP)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 None
Latitude, Longitude: 33.391389, -84.325556 (est)
Ground resonance while hovering ... Hummmm
ReplyDeleteI guess the hover needed to be just a little bit higher.
You have the wrong aircraft listed in this report. The FAA accident report also has the same wrong N number as you and I presume that’s where you picked it up. I know it’s wrong because I have owned N9442F since 1984 and have been the only pilot to ever fly it since then, and have never put a scratch on it. I still fly it all the time, but I’m very disappointed when I look up the number and find this incorrect report. If you could delete this report, I would greatly appreciate it. I take great pride of accomplishment in having owned and flown this great little helicopter for almost 40 years and had the opportunity to take exceptional care of it and protect, it. Seeing a mistaken report that it was destroyed in a crash is disappointing.
ReplyDelete