Summary
On January 30, 1990, a Mbb BK-117A-1 (N117M) was involved in an incident near Janesville, WI. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND FAILED TO ENSURE THAT THE ENGINE COWLING LATCHES WERE PROPERLY SECURED PRIOR TO DEPARTING ON THE MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT; THE COWLING CAME LOOSE DURING FLIGHT, AND CONTACTED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES BEFORE IT SEPARATED FROM THE HELICOPTER.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI90LA074. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N117M.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND FAILED TO ENSURE THAT THE ENGINE COWLING LATCHES WERE PROPERLY SECURED PRIOR TO DEPARTING ON THE MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT; THE COWLING CAME LOOSE DURING FLIGHT, AND CONTACTED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES BEFORE IT SEPARATED FROM THE HELICOPTER.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI90LA074