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Fri, Aug 18, 2006

NTSB: Mechanical Problems Downed Firefighting Helo

Tailrotor Assembly Fell Off Before Impact

There is strong evidence it was equipment failure that brought down a helicopter fighting the Happy Camp Complex Fire in Northern California on August 4.

In its preliminary report, the NTSB found that the number one engine on the Sikorsky CH-54A (file photo of type, right) had been replaced the night before the accident.

Crews with the US Forest Service and operator Heavy Lift Helicopters returned the helo to duty the next morning, after a series of uneventful flight checks. 

The helicopter then flew several missions afterward, until it went down in the Klamath River while in the process of refilling its water tanks for a run just before 8 pm.

One witness told the agency that he saw a large piece of equipment fall from the helicopter just before the copter went down. That piece, the NTSB says, was the Sikorsky's tail rotor gearbox... with three of the four tailrotor blades still attached.

Two pilots were lost in the crash... and the investigation continues.

FMI: Read The Full NTSB Preliminary Report

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