N497AE
Registered owner: TVPX AIRCRAFT SOLUTIONS INC TRUSTEE, UT (owner ≠ operator)
Operators of this aircraft
Who operated this tail, and how firmly we know it.
| Operator | Role | Period | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR EVAC EMS, INC. (EVCA) | Certificate holder | — | Matched by certificate designator |
Accident & incident history
Maintenance disclosures
BLUE MAIN ROTOR PITCH LINK, UPPER ROD END INSERT DE-BONDED. REMOVED BLUE MAIN ROTOR PITCH LINK PN:406-010-413-139, SN:US4717 IN REFERENCE TO DMC-407-A-67-13-0400A-520A-A, ISSUE 001 - 2020/01/06. INSTALLED SERVICEABLE PITCH LINK PN: 406-010-413-137, SN:TI1332 IN REFERENCE TO DMC-407-A-67-13-0400A-720A-A, ISSUE 002 - 2024/12/03.
AFTER FLIGHT CREW DISCUSSED THAT THERE WAS A SLIGHT EXHAUST SMELL WHEN THE AIRCRAFT HEATER WAS ON. AMT CLEANED AND REOILED IBF FILTER IAW DONALDSON ICA.
PILOT REPORTED SMELLING SOMETHING HOT IN THE COCKPIT, NO SMOKE PRESENT. INSPECTED THE ACFT, FOUND THE AIR CONDITIONER BELT BROKEN & THE COMPRESSOR SEIZED. BELT WAS REMOVED, DRIVE LINE INSPECTED, ACFT SYS MEL'D & ACFT RETURNED TO SERVICE.
ON PREFLIGHT THE PILOT REPORTED A SOFT SPOT ON THE NOSE DIRECTLY UNDER THE AIR VENT & SOME CRACKS IN THE PAINT. THE ACFT WAS GNDED & THE MECHANIC CALLED. REMOVED THE PAINT IN THE VISIBLE AREAS WHERE THE PAINT WAS CRACKING & FOUND THE CRACK TO BE THROUGH THE PAINT & INTO THE COMPOSITE. THE MECHANIC CONTINUED STRIPPING PAINT AROUND ALL NOTICEABLE CRACKS IN THE PAINT & DISCOVERED A TOTAL OF 6 CRACKS IN THE COMPOSITE WITH THE LONGEST CRACK BEING APPROX 2.5 INCHES. THE CRACKS SEEM TO BE A RESULT OF THE SOFT SPOT AS THEY WERE ALL ON THE EDGES WHERE THE SOFT SPOT ENDS & THE RIGIDNESS BEGINS.
AC IS OUT OF SERVICE FOR A PRECAUTION LANDING. DURING THE PRECAUTION LANDING FOR FUEL SMELL IN COCKPIT, THE PILOT PULLED THE EMER FUEL SHUT OFF HANDLE. ACFT REQUIRED AN INITIAL INSPECTION & REPLACEMENT OF THE BREAKAWAY EMER FUEL SHUT OFF GUARD. AFTER INSPECTION, COULD NOT DUPLICATE.
THE TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX & THE VERTICAL STABILIZER BOLT MOUNTING POINTS ON TOP OF THE TAIL BOOM ARE DAMAGED & NEED REPAIR. FOUND THAT THE WINDINGS INSIDE THE BOLT HOLES, MOUNTING POINTS, HAD BEEN PARTIALLY GROOVED INTO BY THE BOLTS. THE STATION IS AT 380.30 INCHES.
ON INVESTIGATION OF ENG CHIP LIGHT, FOUND THE ELEC CHIP DETECTOR HAD AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF GROUND CHIPS. CHECKED THE OIL FILTER BUT DID NOT SEE MUCH METAL UNTIL CLEANED THE FILTER. THERE WAS A GOOD AMOUNT OF SEDIMENT. CHECKED THE MO5 CHIP DETECTOR & FOUND MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF METAL CHUNKS. THE MO1 CHIP DETECTOR HAD SOME BUILDUP OF SMALL FLAKES & THE OIL TANK CHIP PLUG HAD AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF CRUSHED METAL.
DURING CRUISE FLIGHT PILOT REPORTS HEARING GONG AND "ENG P" LIGHT ILLUMINATED. INSPECTIONS END WITH POSITIVE RESULTS AND RELEASED ACFT FOR SERVICE. ON SECOND LEG OF THE RETURN THE GONG SOUNDED WITH NO ASSOCIATED LIGHT WITH AN INCREASE IN INTERVAL ON APPROACH UNTIL SHUTDOWN. "ENG P" THEN FLICKERED ONCE GROUND IDLE WAS SELECTED AND THEN WAS STEADY TO SHUTDOWN. BOTH TIMES OIL PRESSURE WAS NORMAL. DURING GROUND RUN UP WATER FROM HEAVY RAINS WAS OBSERVED FROM BELOW WITH A FLASH LIGHT SOAKING ALL THE CONNECTORS. CLEANED AND DRIED WITH NO FURTHER ISSUES. SUSPECTED WATER MIGRATION INTO THE CONNECTOR FROM DAYS OF UNUSUALLY HEAVY RAINS.
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, AN ODOR DESCRIBED AS "BURNING CRAYONS" WAS DETECTED. SECONDS LATER, HAZE WAS VISIBLE IN THE CABIN. A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WAS EXECUTED AND A NORMAL SHUTDOWN CONDUCTED. THERE WERE NO OBVIOUS INDICATIONS AS TO THE ORIGIN OF THE SMELL AND HAZE. IT WAS FOUND TO BE EXCESSIVE ENGINE CLEANING SOLUTION FROM THE PREVIOUS 100 HOUR INSPECTION. NO COMPONENTS SPECIFICALLY WERE EFFECTED, NO DID DAMAGE OCCUR TO ANY STRUCTURE OR COMPONENTS. ON FIRST INVESTIGATION, FOUND OUT THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT AFTER A 100HR INSP. FOUND AT FIRST INSP, WHAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE FDC AIR FILTER OVERSERVICED AND FOUND OIL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF ENGINE AIR INTAKE. THEN REMOVED FILTER CLEANED AND REOILED AS NECESSARY. THEN RAN UP ACFT AND STILL SMELLED A BURNED ODOR IMMITTING FROM THE HEATER VENTS. SHUTDOWN AND INSPECTED ENGINE AND FOUND MORE RESIDUAL AIR FILTER OIL, CLEANED OIL AND THEN RAN THE ACFT UP AGAIN AND OPENED ALL HEATER VALVES AND AIR CONDTIONER SYS ALL ON HIGH. THEN WENT ON A 25 MIN TEST FLIGHT AND TURNED ON ALL HEATER VENTS AND THE ODOR WENT AWAY.
ON THE SECOND LEG OF A MISSION, AT 16 MINUTES FROM DESTINATION (FOR REFUEL), A YELLOW "GOV" LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND REMAINED ON UNTIL SHUTDOWN. ON RESTART, THE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE, AND DID NOT ILLUMINATE DURING THE REPOSITION TO OUR PAD, (A 6 MINUTE FLIGHT). NOTIFIED MX WHO ADVISED ME TO PUT THE ACFT OUT OF SERVICE UNTIL REPLACEMENT PARTS ARRIVED, AND WERE INSTALLED. VEMD FAILURE CODE 122 RESOLVES TO FAILURE OF THE COLLECTIVE ANTICIPATING POTENTIOMETER. POTENTIOMETER WILL BE REPLACED PRIOR TO FURTHER FLIGHT.
ACFT INDICATED AN AMBER GOV LIGHT IN FLIGHT, WITH NO ENGINE, MAIN ROTOR, OR TAIL ROTOR FLUCTUATIONS IN FLIGHT. TECH RETRIEVED AN INTERMITTENT FAILURE CODE 122 FOR THE COLLECTIVE POTENTIOMETER. WHEN THE ACFT WAS POWERED BACK UP AFTER LANDING THE AMBER GOV LIGHT EXTINGUISHED AND NO FURTHER CODES DETECTED. CHECKED RIGGING AND OPERATION OF COLLECTIVE POTENTIOMETER IAW MET 76.00.00.502 SECTION 5.4 WITH NO FAULT FOUND. CONTACTED MFG TECH REPRESENTATIVE TO VERIFY FAILURE AND IT WAS NOTED THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL OCCURRENCES WITH THIS FAILURE OUT IN THE FIELD. ACFT PERFORMED A GROUND RUN AND OPS CHECK FLIGHT WITH NO DEFECTS NOTED, AND RTS.