Accident Summary
On May 20, 2015, about 1030 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206L-3 helicopter, registration N210MH, operated by New York Helicopter and registered to Meridian Helicopters LLC, was substantially damaged during a hard landing at Helo Kearny Heliport (65NJ), Kearny, New Jersey. The commercial private pilot was not injured. The positioning flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 in visual meteorological conditions with no flight plan filed for the intended flight to Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport (JRB).
Pilot Account
The pilot reported fueling the helicopter at 65NJ and planned to position it to JRB. While in a 20-foot hover before departure to contact air traffic control for clearance, the helicopter began to yaw to the right. Despite applying left pedal input, the helicopter completed three right revolutions. The pilot then reduced throttle and increased collective, resulting in a hard landing on the helipad while still yawing. During the hard landing, the tail rotor contacted the ground and the main rotor struck the tail boom.
Examination Findings
An FAA inspector examined the helicopter and found that a section of the tail rotor driveshaft had separated. Damage was noted to the tail boom, tail rotor blades, left vertical fin, and vertical stabilizer. The separated driveshaft tube (No. 5) had detached from its bonded flange adapter at the adhesive bond. Due to the shaft spinning within the adapter post-separation, the remaining adhesive could not be measured against the required .003 inch bond line thickness. The adhesive appeared disbonded and discolored, consistent with heat from the spinning shaft. Paint removal from the driveshaft revealed a red "X" near the middle and red numbers .004 and .024 at each end, indicating runout values exceeding the manufacturer's maximum of .003 inch. Areas of corrosion removal were also visible. The driveshaft's serial number (BTMK 00777) format did not match any known records.
Maintenance History
Review of maintenance records showed the helicopter had experienced a hard landing in Chile in 2010 and remained inactive until recently purchased. A hard landing inspection was completed on April 28, 2015, followed by an annual inspection on April 30, 2015. The accident tail rotor driveshaft was installed after the hard landing inspection but before the annual inspection. The helicopter had operated about 26 hours since those inspections.
Parts Investigation
The registered owner reported that when the helicopter was purchased from Marks Aviation Group, the driveshafts arrived freshly painted. The previous owner stated the driveshafts were obtained at auction; no serviceable tags were provided, and the auction invoice did not list serial numbers. The investigation could not determine if the separated driveshaft was the same one installed during the 2010 hard landing. Consequently, the helicopter manufacturer submitted a suspected unapproved parts report to the FAA.