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CHI82DA149

1982-05-03 · FLINT, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FNT

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE AIRCREW WERE ON AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT TO PREPARE THE STUDENT, A RATED PILOT, FOR A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR RATING. AFTER PRACTICING SEVERAL AUTOROTATION APPROACHES, THE HELICOPTER WAS LANDED. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (IP) STATED THAT AFTER TOUCHDOWN, HE AND THE STUDENT WERE IN A DISCUSSION WHEN THEY HEARD A LOUD "POP". THE IP DEPLANED AND INSPECTED THE HELICOPTER, BUT FOUND NO IRREGULARITIES. THEY TOOK OFF AND PERFORMED ANOTHER AUTOROTATION. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE COLLECTIVE WAS LOWERED, THE HELICOPTER PITCHED LEFT AND FORWARD, AND THE ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED THE GROUND AND TAIL BOOM. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE LEFT FRONT SHOCK STRUT DAMPER ASSEMBLY, NO: 269A3150-5, HAD FAILED. TOTAL TIME ON THE PART WAS 3614 HRS. ACCORDING TO A METALLURIGICAL REPORT, A SINGLE OVERLOAD FRACTURE WAS FOUND AT THE CLEVIS ON THE PISTON END OF THE DAMPER. THE CFI DID NOT REPORT ANY HARD LANDINGS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1982_CHI82DA149.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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