IHC Health Services, Inc.

Operated by IHC HEALTH SERVICES INC (per NTSB report)

The pilot’s exceedance of the helicopter’s available power while landing in a confined area, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness and a hard landing.

Operated by IHC Health Services Inc (per NTSB report)

The flight nurse’s inadvertent application of left anti-torque pedal during cruise flight, which resulted in a rapid yaw and pitch movement that caused the tail rotor blades to contact the tailboom.

Operated by IHC HEALTH SERVICES INC (per NTSB report)

The pilot’s failure to maintain separation from a fence post during taxi at night.

Sanction: $8,000 · case closed 2023-08-18

Part: PRESSURE SENSOR — MALFUNCTIONED (ZONE 200) · airframe 6,557 hrs · 21,972 cycles

PILOT REPORTED HIGH OIL PRESSURE, SECURED THE ENGINE IN FLIGHT AND PREFORMED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING.

Part: BOLT — GROOVED (ZONE 200) · airframe 4,942 hrs · 16,256 cycles

IT WAS REPORTED AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS COMING IN FOR A 200-HOUR INSPECTION. A SLIGHT BUMP COULD BE FELT IN FLIGHT; DURING THE INSPECTION, ALL PC LINK ROD ENDS, AND BOLTS WERE INSPECTED, AND THE BLUE UPPER BOLT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A STEP WORN INTO IT, THE BOLT WAS REPLACED, AND MR TRACK AND BALANCE WERE PERFORMED, AND NO FURTHER MAINTENANCE WAS REQUIRED.

Part: SWITCH — ACTIVE (ZONE 400) · airframe 3,913 hrs

EN ROUTE TO LAS FROM SLC WITH THE PATIENT ON BOARD. LEVELED OFF FL230 AND A MINUTE LATER THE FUEL PRESSURE LOW L INDICATOR CAME ON. WE (DAVID HALE AND SIC RICK JONES) FOLLOWED THE CHECKLIST WITH THE USE OF THE L STANDBY BOOST PUMP AND RETURNED TO SLC.”

Part: TRUNNION — SCORED (TAIL ROTOR HUB) · airframe 2,634 hrs · 9,099 cycles

PILOT REPORTED A MAIN ROTOR VIBRATION. UPON TRACK AND BALANCE OF THE MAIN ROTOR IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE VIBRATION WAS FROM THE TAIL ROTOR. THIS WAS NOT A COMMON OCCURRENCE AS THE TAIL ROTOR UNDERGOES A DETAILED INSPECTION EVERY 200-HOURS. IT IS VERY UNCOMMON TO EXPERIENCE A MAINTENANCE ISSUE BETWEEN INSPECTIONS. FOR THAT REASON,THE TAIL ROTOR WAS DISASSEMBLED FOR INSPECTION. UPON INSPECTION, THE TRUNNION WAS FOUND TO HAVE ABNORMAL WEAR ON THE BUSHING CONTACT SURFACE. THE ABNORMAL WEAR WAS LIMITED TO 50% OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE ON ONE END OF THE TRUNION. TRUNION PART NUMBER 109-8131-35-101 SERIAL NUMBER 515

Part: OIL COOLER — WORN (NR 1 ENGINE) · airframe 1,834 hrs

PILOT NOTED A SLIGHT INCREASE, WITHING LIMITS IN THE NR 1 ENGINE OIL TEMP DURING FLIGHT. DURING FINAL APPROACH, THE OIL TEMP STARTING INCREASING, THE PILOT ABORTED THE APPROACH, SECURED THE NR 1 ENGINE IAW THE RFM AND SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A RUN ON LANDING. DURING INSPECTION OF THE OIL COOLER DRIVE SPLINES, THERE WAS EXCESSIVE WEAR ALLOWING THE SPLINES TO SLIP. THE BEARING THAT SUPPORTS THE SHAFT WAS CORRODED AND WORN. THIS IS THE NEW STYLE OIL COOLER THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERIODIC SPLINE INSPECTION.

Part: ATTACH FITTING — CRACKED (TAIL BOOM) · airframe 1,199 hrs

DURING A 1200 HOUR INSPECTION, A CRACK WAS FOUND IN THE LOWER LT TAIL BOOM ATTACH FITTING. AFTER REMOVING THE TAIL BOOM, FOUND A CRACK IN THE BULKHEAD & FRAME ASSEMBLY.

Part: BRACKET — CRACKED (LONGERON) · airframe 1,596 hrs · 5,345 cycles

DURING A 1,600-HOUR INSPECTION A TWO INCH CRACK WAS FOUND IN THE LT LONGERON BRACKET. THE CRACKED LONGERON BRACKET IS LOCATED AT THE AFT LOWER LT FUSELAGE TO TAIL BOOM ATTACH POINT. THE SUBJECT PART IS 1 OF 4 POINTS THAT ATTACH THE TAIL BOOM TO THE FUSELAGE. THE CRACKED PART WAS APPROXIMATELY 1" FROM COMPLETE FAILURE. THE AFT FUSELAGE BULKHEAD: PN 109-0340-09-111A1 WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE COMPROMISED, CRACKED, CHAFFING IN THE ADJACENT AREA. IT IS SUSPECTED THE DAMAGE CAUSED TO THE BULKHEAD WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE CRACKED LONGERON ALLOWING SOME MOVEMENT OF THE TAIL BOOM IN THE SUBJECT AREA. THIS ENTIRE AREA IS A 400-HOUR INSPECTION REQUIREMENT, THIS IS THE FIRST ISSUE OF ITS KIND FOR OUR FLEET OF FIVE OF THIS TYPE AIRCRAFT.

Part: BLADE — CRACKED (TAIL ROTOR) · airframe 1,325 hrs

DURING A DAILY INSPECTION , A ONE INCH CRACK ON ONE OF THE TWO TAIL ROTOR BLADES WAS DETECTED. INITAL INSPECTION WAS VISUAL A 10X GLASS WAS USED TO VARIFY. AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM SERVICE AND WILL RETURN TO SERVICE AFTER A SERVICEABLE TAIL ROTOR BLADE IS INSTALLED.

Part: PITCH CONTROL — SEPARATED (M/R HEAD) · airframe 8,790 hrs

DURING CRUISE FLIGHT, PILOT NOTED A SLIGHT VIBRATION IN THE MAIN ROTOR SYS. THE FLIGHT WAS COMPLETED. UPON POST FLIGHT 1 OF THE 4 UPPER PITCH CHANGE LINK ROD ENDS WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY WORN. A DETAILED INSP BY MX REVEALED THE PITCH CHANGE LINK ROD END PN 709-0101-18-111 HAD WORN TO THE POINT THE BALL HAD BECAME SEPARATED FROM THE OUTER RACE OF THE ROD END. THE SEPARATION ALLOWED THE ROD END HSG TO CONTACT THE MAIN ROTOR GRIP TRUNNION (TRUNNION PN 709-0101-12-101). PITCH CHANGE LINK ROD END WAS REPLACED, GRIP ASSY. REPLACED, COMPLETED MAIN ROTOR TRACK AND BALANCE - ACFT RETURNED TO SERVICE MARCH 22, 2010.

Part: NUT — LOOSE (TAIL ROTOR) · airframe 7,862 hrs

DURING PREFLIGHT INSPECTION, PILOT NOTED THE TAIL ROTOR BALANCE WHEEL HAD SLIGHT ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT. MAINTENANCE WAS DISPATCHED TO INSPECT THE TAIL ROTOR ATTACHMENT. TAIL ROTOR RETENTION NUT 109-0130-85-1 WAS LOOSE CAUSING SLIGHT WEAR TO THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX OUTPUT SHAFT(SPLINES) AND TRUNNION 109-8131-33-101 SERIAL NUMBER M127. REPLACED TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX 109-0440-01-119 SERIAL NUMBER H103596 TSO 2520.2 TSI 376.0. REPLACED TRUNNION 109-8131-33-101 SERIAL NUMBER M127 TSN 644.8. REPLACED TAIL ROTOR RETENTION NUT 109-0130-85-1. REPLACED SLIDER SLEEVE 109-0130-90-117 SERIAL NUMBER A2-0327 TSN 112.4. THE SLIDER SLEEVE SHOWS ABNORMAL WEAR AT THE AREA THE SLIDER SLEEVE MATES WITH THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX OUTPUT SHAFT.

Part: LONGERON — CRACKED (TAIL BOOM) · airframe 7,787 hrs

DURING A 3,000-HOUR INSPECTION THE UPPER LT TAILBOOM ATTACH FITTING WAS FOUND TO HAVE A 2-INCH CRACK. THIS EXACT LONGERON/ATTACH FITTING WAS REPLACED JUNE 2004 AT AIRCRAFT TOTAL TIME 5626.7 THE ORIGINAL REPAIR WAS COMPLETED AND APPROVED ON FAA FORM 337 DATED JUNE 17,2004 - DWG 109-0951-60.

Part: TRUNNION — OVERHEATED (TAIL ROTOR) · airframe 3,519 hrs

SEPT 5, 2004. AIRCRAFT TT: 3518.7 UPON 25 HOUR INSPECTION, TAIL ROTOR TRUNION ENAMEL PAINT DISCOLORED. SIGNS OF EXCESSIVE HEAT.

Part: TRUNNION — OVERHEATED (TAIL ROTOR) · airframe 3,512 hrs

UPON DAILY INSPECTION, MECHANIC FOUND ABNORMAL PLAY IN TAIL ROTOR ASSEMBLY. TRUNION- FURTHER INSPECTION FOUND SIGNS OF EXCESSIVE HEAT TO TRUNION ENAMEL PAINT DISCOLORED (BROWN).

Part: GEARBOX — DAMAGED (TAIL ROTOR)

REMOVAL OF TAIL ROTOR HUB AND BLADE ASSY. FOUND TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX OUTPUT SHAFT TO HAVE METAL TRANSFER TYPE DAMAGE TO SPLINE AREA. HEAT GENERATED FROM THE TAIL ROTOR TRUNION WAS ALSO EVIDENT.

Part: TRUNNION — OVERHEATED (TAIL ROTOR)

UPON 25 HOUR INSPECTION, SIGNS OF HEAT NOTED. ENAMEL PAINT WAS BROWN-DISCOLORED.

Part: TRUNNION — OVERHEATED (TAIL ROTOR)

UPON 25 HOUR INSPECTION, TRUNION SHOWS SIGNS OF EXCESSIVE HEAT, DISCOLORED (BROWN) COATING. ENAMEL PAINT.