Here is the accident summary from the B212 I referred to earlier. Sorry, but I don’t know how to set up a link.
Data Source: SB AVIATION ACCIDENT/INCIDENT DATABASE
Report Number: SEA98GA159
Local Date: 08/08/1998
Local Time: 15:05 MDT
State: OR
City: JUNTURA
Operations Information
Category of Operation: GENERAL AVIATION
Aircraft Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
Aircraft Make/Model: BELL BHT-212-XXX
Owner Name: AIR ONE HELICOPTERS, INC.
Narrative
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) HAD JUST MANEUVERED THE BELL 212 HELICOPTER INTO A 100 FOOT HOVER ABOVE A SMALL RESERVOIR TO FILL A "BAMBI" BUCKET FOR FIRE-FIGHTING OPERATIONS. THE ROTORCRAFT BEGAN TO SETTLE. THE PIC, PERCEIVING THAT HE HAD ENCOUNTERED ROTOR VORTEX CONDITIONS, SLIPPED THE HELICOPTER TO THE RIGHT WITH THE BUCKET STILL IN THE RESERVOIR. THIS, IN TURN, INCREASED THE ANGLE OF THE LONG LINE FROM THE VERTI CAL OR ZERO DEGREE REFERENCE. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER, THE PIC NOTED A LOSS OF POWER IN THE #1 ENGINE. HE THEN EXECUTED A
SINGLE-ENGINE AUTOROTATION, DURING WHICH A ROTOR BLADE IMPACTED A DEAD TREE. POST-CRASH EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE LONG LINE HAD PULLED AFT AND LEFT FROM ITS VERTICAL REFERENCE INTO THE AIRFRAME STRUCTURE (THE 7:30 POSITION OF THE HELL HOLE IN THE BELLY OF THE HELICOPTER) RESULTING IN 1) THE SEPARATION OF ONE OF THE #1 ENGINE PUSH/PULL RODS,
AND 2) THE DEFORMATION OF ENGINE CONTROL RODS ASSOCIATED WITH THE #1 ENGINE FLIGHT IDLE STOP (SOLENOID) WHICH THEN SHEARED. THE SHEARING OF THE FLIGHT IDLE STOP RESULTED IN A RESTRICTION/CESSATION OF FUEL FLOW TO THE #1 ENGINE FUEL CON TROL UNIT, AND SUBSEQUENT ENGINE SHUTDOWN.
Probable Cause
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE LONG LINE CABLE AND HELL HOLE STRUCTURE RESULTING IN AIRFRAME CONTACT AND BINDING OF THE CABLE. THIS RESULTED IN SEPARATION/DISABLING OF THE FUEL CONTROL SOLENOID AND A SUBSEQUENT RESTRICTION/CESSATION OF FUEL FLOWTO THE #1 ENGINE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE SEPARATION OF THE #1 ENGINE PUSH/PULL ROD AND A TREE.
I do love the "single engine autorotation" bit - but I cannot believe it made it into a NTSB accident report.
Does this mean all single engine helicopters are in autorotation??
Looks as though the book may have been sort of true, but I think perhaps the problem was discovered at the end of the flight when he tried to shut the engine down? Otherwise, I still think it is a big call to go and get passengers with a known throttle linkage problem and airframe damage. Maybe it was just lucky that he did not have to do a "single engine autorotation" as well!!