Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 N250AD

Summary

On 19 August 2000 at about 18:24 local time, a Fairchild Hiller FH-1100 registered N250AD was involved in an accident near Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 August 2000 at 18:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Valparaiso, Indiana, United States

Coordinates

41.4695, -87.0491

Aircraft

Fairchild Hiller FH-1100

Registration

N250AD

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Valparaiso → Valparaiso

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI00FA266

1 person died.

The in-flight fracture of the main rotor mast and the separation of the main rotor. Factors to the accident were the corroded main rotor mast that resulted in fatigue.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight the main rotor mast fractured and the main rotor separated from the helicopter. Witnesses to the accident reported seeing the helicopter falling to the ground in multiple sections. The aft 7.5 feet of tailboom, including the tail rotor gearbox, was located 220 feet from the main wreckage. The main rotor hub and blades were located 146 feet from the main wreckage. The main rotor blades remained attached to the rotor hub assembly. The main rotor mast was fractured approximately 6 inches below the rotor hub assembly. The fracture was transverse to the longitudinal direction of the mast. The interior diameter of the main rotor mast was corroded and had several areas of surface pitting. According to the NTSB Materials Laboratory Factual Report, the main rotor mast contained a "flat" crack that contained crack arrest features indicative of fatigue cracking. The report states, "The crack arrest features in the flat fracture region emanated from corrosion pits on the inside diameter surface of the mast. The entire inside diameter surface had been affected by this corrosion in the area of the flat fracture region."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.