What happened
On July 3, 2010, an AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter, operating as East Asia Airlines with registration B-MHJ, departed from the Hong Kong-Sky Shuttle Heliport. Shortly after takeoff, the flight crew reported hearing a loud bang and experienced a total loss of pedal authority.
The crew performed an autorotation and ditched the aircraft into Victoria Harbor. There were no injuries among the thirteen occupants on board, all of whom successfully exited the helicopter after it landed in the water.
The investigation
Following the accident, the helicopter, the tail rotor assembly, and the tail rotor gearbox were recovered. An examination of the tail rotor blade hub showed that one white blade had separated at the blade root area. One tail rotor blade was not recovered.