Mcdonnell Douglas 500N accident near San Jose, CA
On October 25, 1999, a Mcdonnell Douglas 500N (helicopter) was involved in an accident near San Jose, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 25, 1999
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas 500N · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.339°N, 121.899°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X19976
NTSB summary
1.1 HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 25, 1999, at 1537 hours Pacific daylight time, a MD Helicopter, Inc. (MDHI) 500N helicopter, N904PD, collided with a city street in San Jose, California, following an in-flight loss of control during an approach to the San Jose International Airport. The helicopter, operated by the City of San Jose Police Department as a public-use flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, was destroyed during the collision sequence. The airline transport pilot and nonrated passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1524 from Reid-Hillview airport and was en route to San Jose International Airport. While on a routine patrol on October 23, 1999, the pilot and a police observer, who was flying the aircraft, experienced an uncommanded yaw of about 10 degrees to the right while practicing stuck pedal maneuvers. In his statement, the observer reported that after ascertaining that neither of them had made a control input, the pilot took control and made a precautionary landing at the Reid-Hillview airport. The observer said that the pilot reported the pedals felt mushy, but he had control authority. The next day a contract maintenance technician arrived and was unable to find a discrepancy in the anti-torque control system (see Aircraft Information for a more detailed discussion). The pilot and technician believed the problem was in the Yaw Stability Augmentation System (YSAS), and it was deactivated in accordance with the Rotor
Probable cause
The pilot's in-flight loss of control due to the failure and separation of the forward thruster control cable telescoping sleeve ball swivel fitting, which resulted in a stuck thruster and the entry into an uncontrollable yaw/spin. Also causal was the mechanics improper maintenance actions during diagnostics to determine the cause of a yaw control anomaly in that he failed to remove an access pane
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
Browse: California · Mcdonnell Douglas aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
