BRIM EQUIPMENT LEASING, LLC

Operated by Brim Equipment Leasing, LLC (per NTSB report)

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line pole’s static arm during forecasted gusting wind conditions, un-forecasted light turbulence, and un-forecasted low-level wind shear conditions, resulting in main rotor blade contact with the static arm and a subsequent loss of control and impact with terrain.

Operated by BRIM EQUIPMENT LEASING LLC (per NTSB report)

The pilot’s loss of situational awareness while landing, resulting in an impact with power lines.

Operated by Brim Equipment Leasing Inc (per NTSB report)

The failure of the output shaft of the overrunning clutch inner race due to frictional overheating of the shaft, which resulted from the failure of the output bearing’s stainless-steel grease seal.

Operated by Brim Equipment Leasing Inc (per NTSB report)

The improper maintenance of the helicopter fuel system that resulted in erroneous fuel gauge indications and the pilot’s inadequate fuel management, both of which resulted in fuel exhaustion during a long-line hover. Also causal was the lack of company procedures to ensure adequate maintenance and fuel planning.

The pilot's failure to follow the FADEC malfunction checklist that resulted in the loss of rotor RPM, and the pilot's improper use of the flight controls during the precautionary landing that resulted in a hard landing. A factor was the malfunction of the FADEC unit for undetermined reasons.

Part: SHAFT — CRACKED (UNKNOWN)

TURBINE UNIT WAS RECEIVED FOR LOUD NOISE DURING IDLE AND BAD VIBRATIONS. DURING OVERHAUL INSPECTION THE PT OUTER SHAFT WAS IDENTIFIED WITH A CRITICAL ISSUE, A VISIBLE CRACK IN THE COMPONENT.

Part: GPS — DISENGAGED · airframe 5,632 hrs · 15,270 cycles

ON 05/01/21 ON A EARLY MORNING NIGHT IFR RNAV 08 APPROACH TO ASTORIA AIRPORT (KAST). HELICOPTER HAD FAILURE INDICATIONS OF BOTH GPS SYSTEMS, AT SIMULTANEOUS MOMENT, CAUSING GPS 1 AND 2 FAILURE WARNINGS, COMBINED WITH TAWS FAILURE MESSAGE, DISCONNECT OF AFCS, AND LON (LOSS OF NAVIGATION MESSAGES). THE ISSUE IS PERSISTENT AND CAN BE DUPLICATED EVERY TIME THE 'KAST RNAV08' IS FLOWN ON SUBSEQUENT CHECK FLIGHTS (ALL OTHER APPROACHES ARE WORKING NORMAL, WE TESTED: RNAV26, COP LOC 26, VOR08 GROUND BASED AND FMS BASED NAV). LIKE CLOCKWORK UPON REACHING 0.3 MILES AWAY FROM HISET, THE GPS ON BOTH GENESYS IDU-450 SYSTEMS IS LOST SIMULTANEOUSLY AND THE AUTO-PILOT DECOUPLES. WHILE DOING TEST CHECK FLIGHTS, THE GPS FAULT WINDOW WAS UP, AND BEING MONITORED DURING SEVERAL OF THE FLIGHTS. THE GPS LOI, HPL, VPL, HFOM, VFOM, SBAS MSG, SBAS HLTH STATUS MESSAGES ALL CHANGED TO X DURING THE 1-2 SECONDS DURING THE GPS EVENT, AND THEN RETURNS. THE GPS PWR, EQPMNT, GPS SATLT, FDE ALL CONTINUE TO INDICATE OK DURING THE EVENT. THERE HAS BEEN A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TROUBLESHOOTING DONE TO DATE, INCLUDING REPLACING CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF SYSTEM (BOTH GPS UNITS, BOTH GPS ANTENNAS, RELOADING SOFTWARE AND DATABASES. AGUSTA TECH SUPPORT HAS BEEN CONTACTED, GENESYS (FMS/EFIS MANUFACTURER) HAS BEEN CONTACTED WITH OPEN CASES, AND JEPPESEN HAS BEEN CONTACTED FOR DATABASE SUPPORT WITH OPEN CASE NUMBER. AIRCRAFT IS OPERATING UNDER MEL AT THIS TIME. WITH ALL CURRENT TROUBLESHOOTING, THERE IS NO RESOLVE TO ISSUE, AND ISSUE CONTINUES. CONDITION COULD BE POSSIBLE PROBLEM WITH SOFTWARE, DATABASES, HARDWARE. OR SOURCES OF LOCAL INTERFERENCE (UNKNOWN CAUSE THAT CANNOT BE RESOLVED). THIS ALSO OCCURRED ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO, FOR 1 FLIGHT ONE A SINGLE DAY AND SELF RESOLVED. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENTATION. VIDEOS AND PHOTOS OF EVENT AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.

Part: CROSSBEAM — CRACKED (FUSELAGE) · airframe 3,739 hrs

DURING AN INSPECTION PER SERVICE BULLETIN 109SP-118 A CRACK WAS OBSERVED IN P/N 109-0330-17.

Part: STRUCTURE — CORRODED (TAIL BOOM) · airframe 2,616 hrs

FOUND CORROSION ON UNDERSIDE OF TAILBOOM AT BS 334.0 THRU BS 334.03.

Part: CONTROL ROD — FAULTY (NOTAR) · airframe 4,665 hrs · 14,898 cycles

ON DAILY INSPECTION FOR COMPLIANCE OF DAILY AD 2004-16-08 FOR THE NOTAR FAN CONTROL ROD, IT WAS FOUND THAT SAFETY LANDYARDS ON THE FORCE LIMITING ASSY WERE TIGHT. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT LANDYARDS WERE TIGHT WHEN MOVING LEFT AND RIGHT PEDALS FULL FORWARD POSITIONS. LANDYARDS WOULD ONLY LOOSEN WHEN ROTATING THE CONTROL ROD PISTON CYLINDER IN THE PEDAL NEUTRAL POSITION ONLY (AUDIBLE POP WAS HEARD WHEN ROTATING BARREL, CORRISPONDING WITH THE RETRACTION OF THE CONTROL ROD END INTO FORCE LIMITING ASSY). AFTER REMOVAL OF CONTROL ROD FOUND PLUGGER EASY TO REMOVE AND SOUNDS OF A LOOSE METAL OBJECT FROM INSIDE OF TORQUE TUBE.