Summary
On June 10, 2017, a Hughes 269C (N7482F) was involved in an incident near Tallulah, LA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to reset the cyclic trim before takeoff, which resulted in ground resonance.
On June 10, 2017, about 1320 central daylight time, a Hughes 269C helicopter, N7482F, was substantially damaged during a ground resonance event at the Vicksburg Tallulah Regional Airport (TVR), Tallulah, Louisiana. The pilot was not injured. The helicopter was registered to Wade and Son, Inc., and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. The flight was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.The pilot reported that the cyclic trim was not re-centered before takeoff as noted on the checklist. Instead, it remained at a nearly full forward position from the previous flight. The engine start and run-up were normal.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN17LA229. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N7482F.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to reset the cyclic trim before takeoff, which resulted in ground resonance.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On June 10, 2017, about 1320 central daylight time, a Hughes 269C helicopter, N7482F, was substantially damaged during a ground resonance event at the Vicksburg Tallulah Regional Airport (TVR), Tallulah, Louisiana. The pilot was not injured. The helicopter was registered to Wade and Son, Inc., and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. The flight was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.The pilot reported that the cyclic trim was not re-centered before takeoff as noted on the checklist. Instead, it remained at a nearly full forward position from the previous flight. The engine start and run-up were normal. At full power for takeoff, the helicopter began to vibrate. The pilot "rolled the throttle off" and lowered the collective; however, the vibrations became worse and the helicopter "began to destroy itself." He noted that if the cyclic had been centered, the vibrations would have stopped. However, with the trim full forward, the rotor blades began hitting the stops causing the vibrations. The pilot added that there were no malfunctions or failures with the helicopter before the accident.
The helicopter came to rest upright on the airport ramp. A postaccident examination revealed that the engine had partially separated from the airframe and the main rotor gearbox had separated from the rear bulkhead. The landing skid dampers appeared intact, with no visible damage or fluid leakage.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN17LA229