Bell 222 accident near Midlothian, TX
On June 2, 2010, a Bell 222 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Midlothian, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 2, 2010
- Place
- Midlothian, TX
- Aircraft
- Bell 222 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.459°N, 97.039°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100602X63138
Official records · CEN10FA291
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC 3 - FAA Form 8020-9, ATC Incident Preliminary Notice: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
**This report was modified on 1/25/2012 and on 4/23/2012. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.** HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 2, 2010, at 1400 central daylight time, a Bell 222U, N515MK, registered to and operated by CareFlite, Grand Prairie, Texas, collided with the ground following an in-flight break-up near Midlothian, Texas. The post maintenance flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed and a company flight plan was filed. The airline transport pilot and mechanic were killed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The flight departed from Grand Prairie Municipal Airport (GPM) Grand Prairie, Texas, at 1352, about 8 minutes before the accident. During interviews with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), several witnesses consistently reported seeing the tail boom, main rotor hub, main rotor blades, and other debris separate from the helicopter. Another witness heard a "loud crack" sound. The helicopter subsequently collided with the ground and exploded into flames. Review of radar data confirmed N515MK departed GPM at 1352:03. The helicopter proceeded southbound until the last radar target was recorded at 1359:49. The last six radar hits recorded from 1359:26 to 1359:49 indicated an average altitude of 1,300 feet mean sea level (msl), at an average ground speed of 115 knots, and an average ground track of 178 degrees. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The certificated airline transport pilot, age 44, held an airline tra
Probable cause
The fracture of a swashplate drive pin as a result of hydrogen embrittlement due to an unknown source, which resulted in an in-flight breakup of the main rotor system during cruise flight.
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Browse: Texas · Bell 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.
