Hughes 369A N336SP

Summary

On 15 September 2002 at about 18:45 local time, a Hughes 369A registered N336SP was involved in an accident near Burtonsville, Maryland, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

15 September 2002 at 18:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Burtonsville, Maryland, United States

Coordinates

39.1278, -76.8831

Aircraft

Hughes 369A

Registration

N336SP

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Burtonsville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC02LA192

2 people had minor injuries.

The failure of the tailrotor gearbox for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About one minute after liftoff, on the helicopters first flight after an annual inspection, the pilot experienced a sudden shuttering of the fuselage, followed by a chip detector light and a loss of directional control. The helicopter began to turn to the left, and would not respond to anti-torque pedal input. As the helicopter neared the heliport, "everything in the cockpit lit up," and the pilot observed the rotor tachometer decrease below 96 percent. The engine then lost total power, and the pilot performed a forced landing to a reservoir. As the helicopter neared the water, the engine "ignited" again, and the helicopter began to rotate to the right. The pilot set the helicopter down on the water, where it rolled to the right, and sank. According to a manufacturer's report of the examination, no abnormalities were noted with the engine or its related components. Damage to the tailrotor drive system was consistent with sudden stoppage or gradual binding of the tailrotor gearbox. Review of the helicopters maintenance records revealed that the tailrotor swash-plate assembly, the tailrotor pitch bearings on both blades, and the tailrotor bellcrank bearing at the swash-plate, were replaced during an annual inspection completed 2 days prior to the accident; however, the component history of the tailrotor gearbox could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.