Bell UH-1B N9846F

Summary

On 28 June 1996 at about 12:15 local time, a Bell UH-1B registered N9846F was involved in an accident near Lorida, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 June 1996 at 12:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Lorida, Florida, United States

Coordinates

27.3410, -81.1905

Aircraft

Bell UH-1B

Registration

N9846F

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA96LA166

1 person had minor injuries.

failure of company maintenance personnel to properly torque the tail rotor 90 degree gear box mounting bolts during installation, which resulted in failure of the mounting studs due to bending fatigue and subsequent separation of the gearbox.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The tail rotor gearbox, hub, and blades separated from the helicopter during flight. The helicopter then began to spin to the right. The pilot reduced engine power and leveled the helicopter; however, it touched down moving sideways, and the main rotor contacted the ground. Postcrash examination of the gearbox showed the gear box mounting studs had failed due to bending fatigue, which was a result of the mounting bolts not being torqued properly. Logbook records showed the gearbox had been replaced 95 flight hours before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.