Southwest Florida SW204 N37BA
24 May 2000 · Fort Pierce, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 24 May 2000 at about 12:20 local time, a Southwest Florida SW204 registered N37BA was involved in an accident near Fort Pierce, Florida, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 12:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fort Pierce, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 27.4408, -80.5608
- Aircraft
- Southwest Florida SW204
- Registration
- N37BA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Ft. Pierce → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA00LA170
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
An in-flight separation of a tail rotor blade tip weight resulting in tail rotor assembly imbalance and separation due to the installation of an unapproved rotor blade by company maintenance personnel, and the subsequent collision with trees during an emergency landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, at 50 feet, agl and 35 mph over an orange grove, he felt a shudder and heard cracking noises from the rear of the helicopter. He tried to put the rotorcraft down between rows of trees, but lost all control during his landing attempt, started spinning, and rolled over. The tail rotor assembly was located 400 feet from the wreckage with one rotor blade tip weight missing. Factory examination revealed the cause of the separation of the tip weight was corrosion of the adhesive bond between the blade skin, the blade spar, and the tip weight. The blade's data plate was missing and the data plate recess was smoothed over. The blade part and serial number provided by the operator did not match factory assembly records, and the factory was encouraged by the FAA to file a 'Suspected Unapproved Parts' report.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Southwest Florida SW204 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 1998 | Southwest Florida SW204 | Indiantown, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1997 | Southwest Florida SW204 | Manila, Arkansas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 May 2000 | Aerostar S57-A | Windermere, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 2000 | Cessna 188 | Tampa, Florida, United States | American Outdoor Advertising | No injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 2000 | Grumman AA-5A | St. Augustine, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Nov 2000 | Cessna 172P | Inverness, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 2000 | Grumman AA-5 | Zephyrhills, Florida, United States | Arthur L. Schaer | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 2000 | Beechcraft 1900C | Miami, Florida, United States | Gulfstream International | No injuries | - |