Plane Crash Reports 2003

2003 Plane Crash Report Result

Title: IKORSKY S-58ET, N15AH, EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE MANEUV

Report Date: 07/18

Plane Crash Problem: On July 12, 2003, about 1028 Pacific daylight time, a Sikorsky S-58ET, N15AH, experienced a loss of control while maneuvering over the Miraleste Intermediate School, Rancho Palos Verdes, California. In an uncontrolled descent, the helicopter impacted school bungalows and came to rest in an adjacent basketball court, both unoccupied. The helicopter was owned and operated by ARIS Helicopters, Ltd., San Jose, California. The external load operation was performed under 14 CFR Part 133. The helicopter was destroyed, and the commercial certificated pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The flight originated from school property about 1015. The operator was hired to remove and replace several dozen air conditioning units (AC) located on top of various school buildings. The AC's each weighed between 500 and 3,500 pounds. According to the operator's ground crew, during the operation the pilot made a precautionary landing after having observed the illumination of a gearbox chip light. The pilot removed the chip plug from the tail rotor drive shaft's intermediate gearbox, and he examined it. Unidentified particles were observed on the plug. Witnesses reported that the pilot then resumed the external load operation. About 5 additional lifts were performed before the accident occurred. The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that seconds before the accident he had detected a high frequency vibration, and the helicopter also lost tail rotor thrust. His ground crew reported that while the pilot was repositioning one of the larger sized AC's using the 100-foot-long line, the helicopter suddenly began rotating in a clockwise direction and descending. During the Safety Board's on scene examination of the wreckage, the input portion of the tail rotor's drive shaft into the intermediate gear box was found disconnected from the corresponding output shaft. Metal particles were also observed on the gearbox's chip plug.

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