N459AM
Registered owner: AIR METHODS LLC, CO (owner ≠ operator)
Operators of this aircraft
Who operated this tail, and how firmly we know it.
| Operator | Role | Period | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR METHODS LLC (QMLA) | Certificate holder | — | Matched by certificate designator |
Accident & incident history
No NTSB accidents or incidents on file for this aircraft.
Maintenance disclosures
CREW INDICATED AN UNUSIAL ODOR FROM THE AC VENT. DEACTIVATED THE AC, SCENT WENT AWAY, PROCEDED TO HANGAR. TODAY ON ACSN: 54392 AN ABNORMAL ODOR WAS DETECTED WHILE THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM BLOWERS WERE OPERATING. I TRACED THE SMELL TO ONLY BE COMING FROM THE AFT CABIN VENTS AND COULD HEAR THE AFT BLOWER MOTOR WASN'T OPERATING CORRECTLY. THE WIRING/CONNECTORS SHOWED NO SIGNED OF OVERHEATING, R&R'D AFT BLOWER MOTOR AND PERFORMED OPS CHECK. EVERYTHING SOUNDED AND SMELLED NORMAL.
PILOT STATES HE WAS CRUISING AT 78-80% TQ @ 2000FT. TRANSMISSION WAS IN THE GREEN. CHIP INDICATOR CAME ON AND IMMEDIATELY WENT OUT. THEN 30 SECONDS LATER IT CAME ON AGAIN AND STAYED ON. PILOT THEN DIVERTED. DURING LANDING HOVER, LIGHT WENT OFF AGAIN. THEN AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS GOING THROUGH COOLDOWN THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND STAYED ON. PILOT SHUT DOWN AIRCRAFT AND NOTIFIED MAINTENANCE. MAINTENANCE FOUND NUMEROUS SMALL SILVER FLAKES ON LOWER AND A FEW ON UPPER TRANSMISSION CHIP DETECTORS. SERVICIBILITY CHECKS WERE GOOD WITH NO FURTHER CHIPS FOUND. CHIP ANALISYS AND OIL SAMPLES WERE SENT OFF FOR ANALYSIS. RECIVED WORD FROM THE MANUFACTURER PSE THAT THE CHIPS MATCHED METALS FROM M50 BEARING OF TRANSMISSION AND HAVE RECOMMENDED CHANGE OF MAIN ROTOR GEABOX
ON POST FLIGHT CHECK AT BASE, LITTER DOOR HANDLE BECAME STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN RECENT PAST. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE LATCH ASSY AND MECHANISM. POSSIBLE CAUSES COULD BE THAT MEDICAL CREW MEMBERS ARE USING THE CREW DOOR THAT IS ATTACHED TO THE LITTER DOOR TO GET IN AND OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT. THEREFORE CREATING STRESS ON THE LITTER DOOR LATCH PINS THAT SECURE LITTER DOOR TO AIRFRAME. OVER TIME I BELIEVE THESE HINGES AND LATCH PINS BECOME WEAK AND COULD POSSIBLY BE GETTING BENT AND CAUSING A BINDING ISSUE. THIS AIRCRAFT HAS RETURNED TO SERVICE FOLLOWING THE LATCH REPLACEMENT. NO FURTHER DEFECTS NOTED.
THE PILOT AND MEDICAL CREW ARRIVED AT RECEIVING HOSPITAL WITH PATIENT ON BOARD. WHILE UNLOADING THE PATIENT, THE CREW NOTICED THE LITTER DOOR HANDLE HAD BECOME DETACHED AND EXITED THE ACFT WHILE IN FLIGHT, AS IT WAS THERE PRIOR TO LIFTING OFF FROM THE SCENE. THERE WERE NO KNOWN ISSUES WITH LATCHING OR SECURING THE DOOR PRIOR TO FLIGHT. THE MECHANIC ARRIVED TO INSPECT THE ACFT AND REPLACE, INSTALL A NEW LITTER DOOR HANDLE. ALL WORK WAS COMPLETED, AND THE ACFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE.
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT SAW A TRANSMISSION CHIP LIGHT ILLUMINATE. HE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO BASE AND CALLED THE MECHANIC ON DUTY. THE MECHANIC ARRIVED TO TROUBLESHOOT. HE DRAINED AND FLUSHED THE TRANSMISSION, CHANGED THE FILTER, CHECKED AND CLEANED ALL 3 CHIP DETECTORS WITH NO ANOMALIES FOUND, SERVICING THE TRANSMISSION, AND PERFORMED A 20 MINUTE GROUND RUN WITH ASSISTANCE OF THE PILOT. NO FURTHER DEFECTS NOTED. THE ACFT WAS THEN PLACED BACK INTO SERVICE.
ON APPROACH, ACFT EXPERIENCED FADEC DEGRADE & FAULT INDICATIONS. ACFT LANDED SAFELY. DOWNLOAD OF ECU REVEALED SEVERAL CODES COVERING VARIOUS SYS. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE OSCILLATOR IN THE ECU HAD FAILED & A REPLACEMENT WOULD BE REQUIRED. THIS ACFT REMAINS OUT OF SERVICE AT THE TIME OF THIS SUBMISSION AWAITING A REPLACEMENT ECU.
THE MGMT. MISCOMP AMBER CAUTION LIGHT ILLUMINATING ON START UP. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY ABORTED THE START & CALLED THE MECHANIC. THE RECOMMENDATION WAS TO DISCONNECT THE FADEC & ENG WIRE HARNESSES ON FWD FIREWALL & ENG PAN AREA ON RT SIDE & CHECK FOR MOISTURE. PROOF OF MOISTURE INTRUSION WAS EVIDENT. SHOP AIR WAS USED TO LIGHTLY BLOW AWAY MOISTURE THEN CONTACT CLEANER & THE STABILANT 22 WAS REAPPLIED. CONNECTORS WERE RECONNECTED & GND RUN PERFORMED WITH NO DEFECTS NOTED. THIS ACFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE.
FADEC FAULT, FADEC DEGRADE & RESTART FAULT ILLUMINATED. FADEC DOWNLOAD REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FAULTS OPENMVFLG, OSTST4FLT, OSTST7FLT & OSFLT. ALL FAULTS PERTAINED TO THE OVER SPEED ADAPTER & OVER SPEED TEST SWITCH. ABORTED THE MISSION & LANDED AT THE CLOSEST AIRPORT. THE ACFT THROTTLE WAS INOPERATIVE DURING SHUTDOWN SO THE PILOT HAD TO USE THE FUEL SHUTOFF VLV. CYCLED THE FADEC CIRCUIT TO CLEAR CURRENT FAULTS. REMOVE THE OVER SPEED ADAPTER & CONNECT THE FADEC HARNESS BACK TO THE FIREWALL WITHOUT THE ADAPTER INSTALLED, THIS CLEARED THE CURRENT FAULTS. INSPECTED, CLEANED & APPLIED STABILIZER 22 TO THE OVER SPEED ADAPTER & INSTALLED. PERFORMED GND RUN WITH NO ISSUES. THIS ACFT HAS RETURNED TO SERVICE AT THE TIME OF THIS SUBMISSION.
ON CLIMBOUT, NR 2 ENG OIL TEMP WENT UP TO RED LINE, OIL PRESSURE DROPPED. LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT HAD NOT COME ON. CREW MADE PRECAUTIONARY SHUTDOWN ON NR 2 ENG, LANDED BACK AT BASE WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. OIL WAS FOUND IN TAILPIPE OF NR 2 ENG, NO OIL FOUND IN ENG INLET. REAR CARBON SEAL HAD FAILED DUE TO EROSION, VIBRATION, OR COMB. OIL COOLER WAS REPLACED, OIL TEMP RETURNED TO NORMAL RANGES. INTERNAL PARTIAL BLOCKAGE IS SUSPECTED. TEARDOWN, EVALUATION OF OIL COOLER REQUESTED. BORESCOPE OF HOT SECTION DISTRESS, CK OF GEARBOX OIL FOR CONTAMINATION, IF ANYTHING FOUND, REAR CARBON SEAL WILL BE REPLACED. (NM052004040470) (K)
FLT 2565 - BIL - THE NLG TOOK EXTRA TIME TO LOCK UP, BUT DID LOCK UP. PUSH TO TEST WS USED TO VERIFY. DURING CRUISE, A HYDRAULIC FLUID SMELL WAS NOTED, AND THEN THE R HYD LOW LIGHT CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF PRESSURE, THEN L HYD CAME ON. CREW FOLLOWED CHECKLIST PROCESURES, SLOWED DOWN AIRCRAFT, AND SELECTED GEAR DOWN, AND DIVERTED TO MAINTENANCE BASE, AS IT ALSO HAD LONGEST RUNWAY. LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID DUE TO HYDRAULIC LEAK. REPLACED NR 6 HYDRAULIC PRESSURE LINE FOR LANDIG GEAR LOCATED AT PILOTS LEFT KICK PANEL ADJACENT TO LEFT RUDDER PEDAL. RE-SERVICED AIRCRAFT, BLED SYSTEM, GEAR SWING OPS CHECK GOOD. (M)
FLT 2563 - GDV - IN CRUISE BETWEEN STATIONS ON SHORT FLT THE RT WING OVERHEAT LIGHT CAME ON STEADY. THE RT BLEED WAS SHUTOFF AND GEAR WAS EXTENDED PER EMERGENCY PROCEDURES AND THE LIGHT WENT OUT. CREW SELECTED FULL HOT ON THE TEMP CONTROLLER ON ITITIAL CLIMB-OUT IN COOL CONDITIONS. THIS, COUPLED WITH THE GEAR IN THE WELL WITH WARM BRAKES, CAUSED THE LIGHT TO COME ON. THE CREW EXTENDED THE GEAR AND TURNED OFF THE RT BLEED IAW EMERGENCY CHECKLIST PROCEDURES. THE CREW ALSO NOTED BLUE SMOKE IN CABIN THAT DISSIPATED WHEN GEAR WAS EXTENDED AND BLEED WAS TURNED OFF. AFTER T/S, IT IS SUSPECTED THAT THE RIGHT TEMP CONTROLLER OVERSHOT THE INITIAL TEMP SETTING AND ALLOWED TO MUCH BLEED AIR INTO SYSTEM WHEN ITITIAL
AUT - FLT 1280 - DURING SHORT FINAL INTO AUS, SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE LEFT BLEED. UPON LANDING AND DURING ROLL OUT, FO SHUT OFF BOTH BLEEDS. RESIDUAL SMOKE CONTINUED TO ENTER COCKPIT THROUGH LEFT BLEED DURING TAXI TO GATE. AIRCRAFT ARRIVED AT GATE WITHOUT INCIDENT AND BOTH ENGINES WERE SHUT DOWN. MAINTENANCE CONTROL WAS NOTIFIED AND CONTACTED TO INSPECT AIRCRAFT. UPON INSPECTION, THE LEFT AIR CYCLE MACHINE WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. LEFT AIR CYCLE MACHINE/AIRCONDITIONING WAS DEFERRED PER MEL 21-4-0. AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE. (M)
BWD/DFW - FLT 1230 - ON TAKEOFF ROLL JUST BEFORE V1, EXPERIENCED A POWER DROP IN LT ENGINE AND ACFT YAWED TO THE LEFT. ABORTED TAKEOFF AND RETURNED TO GATE WITH NO FURTHER ABNORMALITIES NOTED. MAINTENANCE CONTROL DISPATCHED FROM DFW AND ADJUSTED SCREW 'X' ON LT ENGINE ONE FULL TURN AND ADJUSTED THE FUEL FLOW 20 CLICKS. MAINTENANCE AND FLIGHT CREW PERFORMED GROUND RUNS AND FULL POWER ASSURANCE RUNS. ALL INDICATIONS WITHIN PARAMETERS. AIRCRAFT RELEASED TO SERVICE.
INSPECTION REVEALED CORROSION WITH A SMALL CRACK APPROXIMATELY 1.25 INCH LONG ON THE RIGHT WING LOWER SKIN, LOCATED 2 INCHES OUTBOARD OF WS 217.500 AND 5 INCHES FORWARD OF THE WING TRAILING EDGE. THE DAMAGED AREA WAS REMOVED AND A REPAIR INSTALLED PER AERODESIGN REPORT NR 1689-1 REV IR, DATED 11-15-95.
HYDRAULIC FLUID IS LEAKING FROM THE WING CENTER SECTION. REPLACED THE NLG RETRACT HYDRAULIC LINE ASSEMBLY.
LEFT PROPELLER VERY HARD TO TURN. REPLACED LEFT ENGINE.
HYDRAULIC FLUID LEAKING FROM LT WING. REPLACED LANDING GEAR EXTENSION, HYDRAULIC TUBING IN LT WING CENTER SECTION.
THERE IS BINDING IN THE CONTROLS WHEN PULLING AFT ON THE CONTROL YOKE. REPLACED THE SAS SERVO AND CAPSTAN.
RT MLG IS CYCLING IN THE UP POSITION. REPLACED THE RT MLG UP LIMIT SWITCH.
PILOTS HSI HEADING IS OFF BY 20 DEGREES. REPLACED THE NR 1 SLAVING ACCY.