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Atlas / NTSB / ATL87FA009

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ATL87FA009

1986-10-20 NASHVILLE, Tennessee, United States Airport · BNA Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N2204Z

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

WESLEY CHARLES H KR 2

Year of manufacture

1994

Engine

VOLKSWAGEN CONVERSION (36 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19941117

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A1E3FD

Registrant of record

WESLEY CHARLES H JR

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PLT WAS IN A DESCENT TOWARD A BUILDING IN A DOWNTOWN AREA WHICH HE WANTED AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF. AT ABOUT 1700 FT AGL HE REPORTED THE HELICOPTER JERKED HARD AND YAWED TO THE LEFT. HE INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION AND DURING THE DESCENT TO THE SELECTED LANDING SITE HE HAD TO BLEED OFF ROTOR RPM TO CLEAR WIRES ACROSS THE APCH PATH. A HARD LANDING RESULTED IN A STREET INTERSECTION. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED THE SPUR ADAPTER GEARSHAFT FORWARD SPLINES WERE SEVERELY WORN. THE FORWARD END OF THE GEARSHAFT WAS FRACTURED. THE FRACTURE HAD ORIGINATED FROM THE SHAFT SPLINE TEETH. THE OIL DELIVERY TUBE FOR THE FORWARD SPLINE LUBRICATION DID NOT MEET REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED BY THE ENGINE MANUFACTURER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1986_ATL87FA009.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.