StevieTerrier
25th Sep 2002, 15:53
Whilst idly surfing through the NTSB accident database, I came across this little gem. Brief intro : the servo support on a Bell 222UT came adrift from its mounting on the gearbox, the heli did a loop and ended up on top of a two-storey building, happily with no injuries to the crew / pax. The support was mounted with 8 bolts and four locating dowels. The engineering investigation revealed
" All four dowel pins were recovered. The first dowel pin remained intact and was still in the upper transmission case. The second dowel pin was found in the grease drop-pan, located below the transmission case, and was fractured. The third dowel pin was found on the cowl-ledge structure and was not visually fractured. A portion of the fourth dowel pin was located in the desk-drawer of the lead mechanic and was fractured."
Apparently one of the engineers had found it 12 month previously, but could not identify its source, so they put it away for safe keeping.
Imagine how the chief engineer must have felt as the NTSB boys sat around his desk saying "Well we found three of those damn dowel pins. If only we could find number four....kinda looks like these (produces three pins) anybody got any bright ideas??"
" All four dowel pins were recovered. The first dowel pin remained intact and was still in the upper transmission case. The second dowel pin was found in the grease drop-pan, located below the transmission case, and was fractured. The third dowel pin was found on the cowl-ledge structure and was not visually fractured. A portion of the fourth dowel pin was located in the desk-drawer of the lead mechanic and was fractured."
Apparently one of the engineers had found it 12 month previously, but could not identify its source, so they put it away for safe keeping.
Imagine how the chief engineer must have felt as the NTSB boys sat around his desk saying "Well we found three of those damn dowel pins. If only we could find number four....kinda looks like these (produces three pins) anybody got any bright ideas??"