Bell 206B N33PW
12 August 1987 · Pledger, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 12 August 1987 at about 21:20 local time, a Bell 206B registered N33PW, operated by Houston Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Pledger, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 21:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Pledger, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 29.1294, -95.9390
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B
- Registration
- N33PW
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Houston Helicopters
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Bay City → Houston
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW87FA198
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
WHILE CRUISING AT 900' AGL, THE PLT NOTED A HVY SHUDDER FLWD BY A GRINDING NOISE, LOUD 'BANG' & A LOW ROTOR RPM SIGNAL. HE MADE AN AUTOROTATION TO A ROAD, BUT DRG TOUCHDOWN, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES FLEXED DWN & SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM. AN EXAM REVEALED THE MAIN PWR (SHORT) SHAFT HAD FAILED DUE TO MISALIGNMENT & HI TEMPS RESULTING FROM THE MISALIGNMENT. FURTHER INV SHOWED THAT THE MISALIGNMENT WAS THE RESULT OF A FAILURE OF THE PYLON ISOLATOR MOUNT DUE TO DEBONDING BETWEEN THE UPPER PLATE & THE RUBBER DAMPER ELEMENT. DEBONDING OCCURRED AFTER PROLONGED EXPOSURE OF THE ISOLATOR MOUNT TO OIL & GREASE WHICH CHEMICALLY DETERIORATED THE BOND. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE DETERIORATION HAD OCCURRED OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THE UNIT HAD BEEN INSPECTED PERIODICALLY, BUT THE IMPENDING FAILURE OF THE BOND HAD NOT BEEN DETECTED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 1987 | Bell 206B | Austin, Texas, United States | Omni Flight, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 1987 | Bell 206L-1 | Winter Haven, Florida, United States | All American Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 19 Nov 1987 | Bell 206B III | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Aero West Management Services | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Jan 1987 | Bell 206L-1 | Pollockville, North Carolina, United States | Omniflight Airways, Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
| 10 Dec 1987 | Bell 206L-3 | Little Rock, Arkansas, United States | Central Flying Service | Unknown | - |
| 19 Nov 1987 | Bell 206L-3 | Rialto, California, United States | William Lyon Company | Serious injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1987 | Cessna 152 | New Caney, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Oct 1987 | Cessna 150 | San Angelo, Texas, United States | David Sibley | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 1987 | Cessna 182P | Refugio, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Nov 1987 | Piper PA-18-150 | Dallas, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 1987 | Piper PA-23-250 | George West, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1987 | Cessna 172P | Roanoke, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |