Summary
On November 01, 1990, a Bell 47J-2 (N49DA) was involved in an accident near Gatlinburg, TN. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, 2 minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: THE ACCIDENT WAS INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE OF THE HELICOPTER, ALLOWING A TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT BEARING TO EXCEED WEAR LIMITS. THIS RESULTED IN HIGH LOADS ON THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT, AND THE RESULTING FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE DRIVE SHAFT.
This accident is documented in NTSB report ATL91FA013. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N49DA.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE ACCIDENT WAS INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE OF THE HELICOPTER, ALLOWING A TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT BEARING TO EXCEED WEAR LIMITS. THIS RESULTED IN HIGH LOADS ON THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT, AND THE RESULTING FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE DRIVE SHAFT.
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# ATL91FA013