On April 21, 1987, a Bell UH-1B (registration N46884) was involved in an aviation accident near Clarksville, TN. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A helicopter lost tail rotor control in cruise after the drive shaft separated. The tail rotor system had prior damage from a skid-off four years earlier and had not been repaired.
Accident Sequence
During cruise flight, the helicopter's tail rotor drive shaft separated, leading to a loss of tail rotor control by the pilot.
Previous Damage History
Approximately four years before the accident, while the helicopter was being operated as a public use aircraft, it skidded off a portable landing pad, damaging the tail rotor system. The aircraft's records showed no maintenance or inspections on that system since that incident. The public use agency elected not to repair the tail rotor system and subsequently sold the helicopter to an aircraft dealer.
Maintenance Records
The aircraft's records contained no evidence of any maintenance or inspections on the tail rotor system following the skid-off event.