1992-03 · NASA ASRS report 203993
HELI ON MAINT TEST FLT HAS COM FAILURE. ALLEGED TO HAVE FLOWN WRONG PATTERN AND LANDED WITHOUT CLRNC.
I RECENTLY HAD AN EXPERIENCE AT GILLESPIE FIELD (SEE) IN EL CAJON; CA; WHILE OPERATING AN SMA HELI DURING WHICH TIME I WAS PIC AND ON BOARD WAS MY CREW CHIEF CONDUCTING TRACK AND BAL ADJUSTMENTS. AT SOME POINT DURING THE FLT I MAY HAVE FAILED TO RESPOND TO ATC COMS; MAY HAVE FLOWN THE DESIGNATED HELI PATTERN AT A DIFFERENT PATTERN ALT (SOMEWHAT HIGHER); AND MAY HAVE LANDED WITHOUT A LNDG CLRNC -- ALL OF WHICH WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A RADIO FAILURE DURING THE FLT WHICH COULD NOT BE RECOGNIZED AS DEFICIENT UNTIL AFTER LNDG; AT WHICH TIME THE RADIO WAS REPAIRED. DURING THE FLT; SOME VIBRATIONS WERE FELT THROUGH THE ACFT WHICH LATER PROVED TO BE NORMAL AS THEY WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE 'OUT OF TRACK' CONDITION WHICH WAS LATER CORRECTED; AS PER THE VIBRATION ANALYSIS EQUIP THAT WE HAD ON BOARD THE ACFT AT THE TIME. THE SAFEST THING TO DO WAS TO LAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SUBSEQUENTLY; I TELEPHONED THE CTL TWR AND ADVISED THEM OF OUR SITUATION. LATER ON; AFTER THE RADIOS HAD BEEN REPAIRED; THE RADIO CHK WAS GOOD AND WE FINISHED OUR MAINT FLTS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES FAA HAS CLOSED THIS CASE AND CAN FIND NO PROBLEM WITH RPTR ACTIONS. LCL CTLR SEEMED VERY UPSET SO RPTR MADE COURTESY TELEPHONE CALL TO EXPLAIN INTERMITTENT COM. SUPVR WITH WHOM HE SPOKE WAS NOT VERY PLEASANT AT ALL; VERY DEROGATORY ABOUT HELIS IN GENERAL AND COMMENTED ON RPTR'S HERITAGE. WROTE RPT TO FSDO. FAA ASKED RPTR TO COME FOR INTERVIEW; LISTENED TO TAPES. MUCH DISCUSSION; CLOSED CASE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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