Bell UH-1H accident near Sacramento, California, October 15, 2003
On October 15, 2003 at about 8:27 pm local time, a Bell UH-1H (helicopter), registered N114FD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sacramento, California (Sacramento Mather airport). It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to the fatigue failure of a planetary reduction gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 2003 · about 8:27 pm local time
- Place
- Sacramento, California · Sacramento Mather · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell UH-1H · all UH-1Hs on the register
- Registration
- N114FD · registry record · serial 72-21558
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter landed hard following a loss of engine power in the traffic pattern. The pilot reported that he picked up the helicopter after maintenance was performed on the audio and visual low rpm warning systems and was positioning the helicopter to back to the airport. As he entered the pattern, he heard a bang and what he described as "a horribly loud grinding sound coming from the rear of the aircraft," and lost engine power. The pilot entered an autorotation to a clear area on the airport. As the helicopter neared the touchdown point, the pilot realized the selected landing area was sloped and so he increased collective to extend the glide to reach a flat area. The helicopter landed hard. A teardown and examination of the engine disclosed that the type and degree of damage to the engine was indicative of the separation of a portion of a planetary reduction gear, which resulted in a piece of inlet housing entering the compressor. This resulted in damage to the compressor airfoils and a loss of power. The separation of the portion of planetary reduction gear was determined to be the result of a fatigue fracture emanating from the aft root corner of one gear tooth. The root cause of the fatigue fracture could not be determined due to smearing of the initiation site. The planetary gears installed in the engine were military direct purchase breakout parts. The engine manufacturer does not approve of the use of military direct purchase hardware in FAA certified or military surplus engines used in public-use operations.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,696 hours in all; 2,988 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,550 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,956 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2003; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,500 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Honeywell T53-L-13B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Rancho Murietta CA at 8:20 pm
- Destination: MCC Sacramento CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22L, 11,301 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from SMF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX04TA018.