Bell UH 1H accident near Mesa, AZ
On April 24, 2020, a Bell UH 1H (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Mesa, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 24, 2020
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Aircraft
- Bell UH 1H · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.386°N, 111.806°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200424X03125
Official records · WPR20LA130
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 24, 2020, about 1600 mountain standard time, a Bell UH-1H helicopter, N3276T, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Mesa, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured, and the second pilot was seriously injured. The helicopter operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 relocation flight. The surviving pilot stated he does not recall the accident sequence. Witnesses reported they observed the helicopter flying low toward Falcon Field Airport (FFZ), Mesa, Arizona, with white smoke emitting from the tail rotor area. Suddenly, the tail rotor separated from the helicopter and landed in a dirt lot below. The helicopter continued northeast as it started to spin and impacted the ground. The flight track indicated that the helicopter took off from Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM), Palm Springs, California, about 1324 Pacific daylight time and turned eastbound seemingly along Interstate I-10 toward the Phoenix area. The flight track was intermittent due to the helicopter going in and out of coverage for about 2 hours before passing just north of Buckeye Municipal Airport (BXK) Buckeye, Arizona. The helicopter then turned right and tracked southeast for about 10 minutes and turned left traveling east over a mountain chain and continuing until reaching Stellar Airpark (P19), Chandler, Arizona. The helicopter performed one left hand 360° turn just west of the field before continuing across the airport and turning northeast directly toward FFZ. The helicopter continued along that heading until just before cross
Probable cause
An in-flight separation of the tail rotor gearbox from the airframe due to fatigue failure of the gearbox attachment studs, resulting in a loss of directional control and subsequent ground impact. Contributing to the accident were 1) the improper application of paint on the clamping surfaces between the tail rotor gearbox and the vertical stabilizer that led to the initiation of fatigue fractures
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
- Cessna 402C, Jun 19, 1992
- Piper PA-31-350, Aug 17, 1983
- Piper PA-31-350, Feb 13, 1995
- Cessna 421C, Sep 2, 1995
Browse: Arizona · 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.
