N808MH
Registered owner: AIRSTAR LEASING LLC, NV (owner ≠ operator)
Operators of this aircraft
Who operated this tail, and how firmly we know it.
| Operator | Role | Period | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexair Inc. (X33A) | Certificate holder | — | Matched by certificate designator |
| MAVERICK HELICOPTERS, INC (M7KA) | Operator | on 2007-09-27 | Operator named in NTSB report |
Accident & incident history
Operated by Maverick Helicopters, Inc. (per NTSB report)
Maintenance disclosures
Service Difficulty Reports filed with the FAA for this airframe. Filing is largely voluntary — the number of reports is not a measure of reliability. To verify a report, search its control number at the FAA SDRS site.
16 reports on file, 2007-08-06 – 2008-05-23.
Part: FITTING — CRACKED (HORIZONTAL STAB)
DURING ROUTINE INSP THE FITTING WAS FOUND CRACKED FROM AN OB ATTACHMENT SCREW BORE TO THE FLANGE EDGE. A NEW FITTING WAS INSTALLED. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE FOR THIS PART. PART MAY HAVE BEEN SHIMMED INCORRECTLY OR BORE HOLE NOT ALIGNED PERFECTLY. SUGGEST A MORE DURABLE MATERIAL BE USED IN THIS PARTS MFG SUCH AS TITANIUM OR SS AS ALUMINUM ALLOY FAILS ROUTINELY UNDER THE NORMAL STRESS APPLIED TO THIS PART. (K)
Part: FITTING — CRACKED (HORIZONTAL STAB)
DURING ROUTINE INSPECTION, THE FITTING WAS FOUND CRACKED FROM AN OB ATTACHMENT SCREW BORE TO FLANGE EDGE. NEW FITTING WAS INSTALLED. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE FOR THIS PART. BORE HOLES MUST BE MATCH DRILLED AND ALIGNED PERFECTLY. SUGGEST A MORE DURABLE MATERIAL BE USED IN THIS PARTS MFG SUCH AS TITANIUM OR SS AS ALUMINUM ALLOY FAILS ROUTINELY UNDER NORMAL STRESS APPLIED TO THIS PART. (K)
Part: POTENTIOMETER — DEFECTIVE
(REF 0423083914) A FAULT CODE WAS GENERATED ON SHUTDOWN INDICATING A DEFECT OF THE YAW POTENTIOMETER. A NEW PART WAS INSTALLED AND NO FURTHER FAULT WAS DETECTED. THIS IS A RECURRING FAILURE FOR THIS PART WHICH HAS EFFECTED THE DISPATCH RELIABILITY FOR THIS MODEL HELICOPTER. SUGGEST AN OPTIC RATHER THAN A RESISTANCE BASED SENSOR SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS THE CONTACT POINT IS DAMAGED BY AIRCRAFT VIBRATION WHEN THE AIRCRAFT PEDAL SETTINGS ARE SET FOR CRUISE FLIGHT. (K)
Part: BRACKET — CRACKED
BRACKET FOUND CRACKED DURING 100 HOUR INSPECTION. (K)
Part: PRESSURE SWITCH — FAILED (HYD SYSTEM)
HYDRAULIC PRESSURE LIGHT FAILED TO EXTINGUISH ALTHOUGH SYS WAS PRODUCING NORMAL PRESSURE AND OPERATING NORMALLY IN ALL OTHER RESPECTS. A NEW SWITCH WAS INSTALLED AND DEFECT WAS CORRECTED. THIS PART HAS BEEN FOUND VERY RELIABLE. IF IT HAS A WEAKNESS IT IS THE MOLEX TYPE CONNECTOR UTILIZED. (K)
Part: FITTING — CRACKED (OIL COOLER)
DURING ROUTINE INSPECTION, A CRACK WAS DISCOVERED RADIATING TO THE EDGE OF THE MOUNTING FLANGE AND INWARD TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE FLANGE FROM THE EDGE OF THE SCREW CONTACT SURFACE. TOTAL CRACK LENGTH EXCEEDS 2.5 INCHES. (K)
Part: MOUNT — CRACKED (TAILBOOM)
DURING ROUTINE INSP, A CRACK WAS DISCOVERED RADIATING FROM A MOUNTING BORE HOLE TO THE EDGE OF THE MOUNTING FLANGE AND INWARD TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE FLANGE FROM THE SAME BORE HOLE. TOTAL CRACK LENGTH EXCEEDS 1.5 INCHES. (K)
Part: POTENTIOMETER — DEFECTIVE (COLLECTIVE)
UPON AC SHUTDOWN A FAILURE CODE WAS GENERATED INDICATING THE COLLECTIVE POTENTIOMETER WAS DEFECTIVE. A NEW PART WAS INSTALLED WITH NOT FURTHER DEFECT REPORTED. THIS IS A REOCCURRING PROBLEM FOR THIS PART THAT HAS EFFECTED THE DISPATCH RELIABILITY FOR THIS MODEL AIRCRAFT. AS THIS DESIGN HAS SUCH A HIGH FAILURE RATE PERHAPS AN OPTIC DESIGN WITH NO CONTACT WITH A RESISTANCE RIBBON AS WITH THE CURRENT DESIGN SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. (K)
Part: FITTING — CRACKED (TAILBOOM)
FOUND CRACKED INTO 2 PIECES DURING ROUTINE INSP ON THE MOUNTING FLANGE SURFACE RADIATING FROM A MOUNTING BORE AND TO BOTH EDGES OF THE FLANGE. A NEW FITTING WAS MATCH DRILLED AND INSTALLED. THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON FAILURE FOR THIS PART. SUGGEST A MORE DURABLE MATERIAL BE USED SUCH AS TITANIUM OR STAINLESS STEEL. (K)
Part: POTENTIOMETER — DEFECTIVE (WARNING LIGHT)
PILOT REPORTS AMBER GOVERNOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED DURING FLIGHT. A FAULT CODE WAS GENERATED INDICATING THE POTENTIOMETER AS THE LIKELY DEFECTIVE UNIT. A NEW PART WAS INSTALLED AND NO FURTHER DEFECTS WERE NOTED. THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM FOR THIS PART THAT HAS EFFECTED THE DISPATCH RELIABILITY FOR THIS AC MODEL. (K)
Part: POTENTIOMETER — FAILED (WARNING LIGHT)
PILOT REPORTS AMBER GOVERNOR LIGHT CAME ON IN FLIGHT. NO FAULT CODE WAS GENERATED INDICATING A POTENTIOMETER DEFECT HOWEVER CIRCUMSTANCES REPORTED POINTED TO THIS. A NEW POTENTIOMETER HAS BEEN INSTALLED. PROBLEM FIXED THIS PART HAS LASTED MUCH LONGER THAN TYPICAL THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM FOR THIS PART THAT HAS EFFECTED THE DISPATCH RELIABILITY OF THIS MODE AC. THIS PART CAN ON OCCASION ALSO CAUSE ENGINE FLUCTUATIONS IN FLIGHT WHEN THE RESISTANCE VALUE SIGNAL IS DISRUPTED FOR A LITTLE AS 1/20TH OF A SECOND, WHICH IS THE SAMPLE RATE FOR THE ENGINE CONTROL SYS. AN ADDITIONAL FACTOR FOR THESE TYPE OF FAULTS IS NO RESET FUNCTION AVAILABLE TO THE PILOT TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN A MOMENTARY OR AN ACTIVE FAULT. ONCE THE AMBER WARNING LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED IT REMAINS ON UNTIL THE FLIGHT IS TERMINATED EVEN IF SIGNAL DISRUPTION WAS ONLY FOR 1/20TH OF A SECOND DURING AN IN-FLIGHT TURBULENCE EVENT. (K)
Earlier reports · 2007 · 5 reports
2007
Part: WINDSCREEN — DAMAGED (CANOPY)
ACFT STRUCK BIRD WITH LOSS OF PILOTS AND CENTER WINDSCREENS. ACFT LANDED AT FIRST PRACTICAL LANDING SPOT. A MAJOR REPAIR OF LT CANOPY FRAME AND LT CENTER FRAME HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY MFG SUBSIDIARY. PILOTS WINDSCREEN FOUND INADEQUATE TO PREVENT BIRDS PENETRATION. (K)
Part: FITTING — FAILED (TAILBOOM)
PART FOUND CRACKED DURING ROUTINE INSPECTION IAW AD2004-01-14, REQUIREMENTS AT THE 110 HOUR INTERVAL INSPECTION. A NEW PART OF THE OLD PN WAS INSTALLED. SUGGEST MFG MAKE AVAILABLE THE NEW PN IMPROVED FITTINGS THAT DO NOT HAVE THE AD REQUIREMENT TO AL EC 130B4 OPERATORS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE PRODUCTION OF THESE PARTS TO DATE HAS ONLY MET THE NEEDS OF THE AC ASSY LINES. (K)
Part: LIGHT — INOPERATIVE (ANTI COLLISION)
STROBE FLASH BECAME WEAKER AS THE DAYS PASSED UNTIL UNIT WOULD NO LONGER PASS STROBE INTENSITY REQUIREMENTS AND WAS REPLACED IAW A FIELD APPROVED 337BY THE INSTALLATION OF A WHEEL FLASHING LED ANTI COLLISION LIGHT ASSEMBLY AND ADAPTER BRACKET. THESE MONOBLOCK ANTI COLLISION LIGHT ASSY HAVE NOT HAD PREDICTABLE LIFE EXPECTANCIES AND ARE NOT REPAIRABLE. THEY ARE ALSO THREE TIMES MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE LED REPLACEMENTS. (K)
Part: SUPPORT FITTING — DAMAGED (TAILBOOM)
DURING ROUTINE POSTFLIGHT INSPECTION THE CRACK WAS FOUND VISUALLY ON THE RT LOWER SUPPORT FITTING POSITION ON THE PARTS TRAILING EDGE FACE AND FOUND TO EXTEND ALMOST 2 INCHES OR ALMOST HALF WAY ACROSS THE PART. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE FOR THIS PART. BELIEVE THIS PART HAS A DESIGN OR MATERIALS ISSUE THAT IS OVERALL STRENGTH RELATED. PART REQUIRES SHIMMING SOME TIMES TO PREVENT IT BEING PRELOADED IN SERVICE THAT IF NOT DONE CAREFULLY COULD AGGRAVATE THIS PROBLEM. MOST PROBLEMS HAVE OCCURRED WITH THE SHIMMING OF THE PART NOT BEING A FACTOR AS THE FIT WAS CORRECT FOR THE NEW PART. (K)
Part: FREQ ADAPTER — CRACKED (M/R HEAD)
DURING ROUTINE POSTFLIGHT INSPECTION THE CRACK WAS FOUND VISUALLY ON THE YELLOW BLADES FREQUENCY ADAPTER ELASTOMER SURFACE TRAILING EDGE SIDE JUST BEGINNING TO EXCEED THE M LIMITATION OF 10 MM OF LENGTH. THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE THAT OCCURS USUALLY BEFORE THE HALF LIFE OF THE COMPONENT IS REACHED. THE OLDER PN OF THIS DESIGN USED A DIFFERENT ELASTOMER FORMULA AND RARELY CRACKED BEFORE 3000 HOURS OF SERVICE. SUGGEST MFG RETURN TO OLDER ELASTOMER FORMULA OR VENDOR FOR THE OLDER PN PARTS. (K)