PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - How Big For Notar?
View Single Post
Old 26th Mar 2007, 16:47
  #29 (permalink)  
PANews
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Waltham Abbey, Essex, UK
Age: 77
Posts: 1,175
Received 8 Likes on 4 Posts
16 October 2003 MD900 Explorer N179PA operated by Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters on behalf of the US National Parks Service in the Grand Canyon National Park. Report that the aircraft suffered a ‘Notar’ failure and crashed.

The NTSB concluded that the accident in FREDONIA, AZ had a probable cause:
the pilot's in-flight loss of control due to the fatigue fracture and separation of the force limiting control rod (an integral part of the anti-torque system), which resulted in the helicopter's uncommanded yaw/spin and subsequent collision with terrain. It was all low speed so they all walked away from it.

There was also another 900 D-HITH in Germany that was unable to overcome a gusting wind in March 2005 and toppled over, I guess that could be seen as a Notar failure.

I am not sure that Notar can be hiding behind an excuse that it is a young system anymore, depending what date you go by you get at least 15 years, more really. The development numbers are low though, something like 220-230 Notars in all out there?
PANews is offline