Eurocopter AS 350 BA incident near Kahului, Hawaii, March 28, 2007
On March 28, 2007 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Eurocopter AS 350 BA (helicopter), registered N4010K, suffered minor damage in an incident near Kahului, Hawaii (Kahului airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of tail rotor control due to wear damage to the pitch control input rod that resulted ultimately in the fatigue failure of the upper support yoke arm. Contributing factors were the improper maintenance inspection of the expansion pin assembly and the loose bushing in the lower support yoke arm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 28, 2007 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Kahului, Hawaii · Kahului
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS 350 BA · all AS 350 BAs on the register
- Registration
- N4010K · registry record · serial 2841
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight at 2,800 feet mean sea level (msl) approximately 100 knots airspeed, the pilot experienced an uncommanded left yaw. The pilot pressed each rotor pedal and "found they were not functioning." The pilot turned back to the airport and declared an emergency. The pilot attempted a run-on landing. During the landing, the helicopter "wanted to turn left as the airspeed slowed." Subsequently, the helicopter twice spun to the left and came to rest upright partially on the runway and adjacent grass. The loss of tail rotor control was due to the lower support yoke arm bushing being loose in the lower support yoke arm. During operation of the tail rotor controls, the looseness transferred the cyclic operational stresses, via the expansion pin assembly, to the upper support yoke arm, which failed in fatigue. Under continued operation, the pitch control input rod then translated upwards into the path of the rotating tail rotor gearbox input flange. The pitch control rod wore down until the input rod no longer transmitted operational forces and it separated with the sequential loss of tail rotor control. During a recent 500-hour inspection, a visual check on the expansible pin was performed; however, only one end of the expansion pin assembly appeared to have been visually checked. The manufacturer's maintenance manual does not specify how the installation check should be performed.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,844 hours in all; 5,741 in this make and model; 214 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,794 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 1, 2007; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 1B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGG Kahalui HI at 8:45 pm
- Destination: OGG
- Runway 2, 6,995 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 am from OGG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N4010K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.