Robinson R22 MARINER N8313E

Summary

On 29 May 2011 at about 19:08 local time, a Robinson R22 MARINER registered N8313E, operated by Shevah AVI, was involved in an incident near Redding, Connecticut, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 May 2011 at 19:08

Classification

Incident

Location

Redding, Connecticut, United States

Coordinates

41.3228, -73.3869

Aircraft

Robinson R22 MARINER

Registration

N8313E

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Shevah AVI

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kingston → Vineyard Haven

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11IA320

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate helicopter preflight inspection and the mechanic’s inadequate annual inspection, both of which failed to detect a worn bolt in the tail rotor teeter hinge prior to its fracture due to fatigue.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that he felt an abnormal vibration in the helicopter during cruise flight. He performed a precautionary landing to residential driveway. Postincident examination revealed that the tail rotor teeter hinge bolt had fractured completely due to fatigue and that there was no torque stripe on the bolt to help identify possible movement. The manufacturer’s preflight inspection checklist required the pilot to verify that the tail rotor teeter hinge bolt does not rotate. When asked about preflight inspections, the pilot stated that he does not always use the manufacturer's preflight checklist. Maintenance records show that the most recent annual inspection was performed about 4 weeks before the incident. According to the manufacturer's maintenance procedures, during an annual inspection, a mechanic should verify that the tail rotor teeter hinge bolt remains stationary when teetering the hub. Also, it is recommended that a mechanic applies a torque stripe to the bolt. In addition, the maintenance manual contained an unboxed warning message about the importance of the correct installation of the tail rotor to prevent a failure of the teeter hinge bolt and loss of the tail rotor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.