Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

Contributor

Mark Huber

A&nbsp;June in-flight tail boom separation on a&nbsp;Bell 407 has prompted the FAA's FAASTeam to issue a special notice reminding all operators of the standing FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2012-18-09 to torque-check the boom’s attachment hardware every 300 hours. The NTSB’s investigation into the Hawaii air tour accident that seriously injured three of the six aboard is ongoing.

 


On June 8, the helicopter—registration&nbsp;N402SH and&nbsp;operated by K&amp;S Helicopters doing business as Paradise Helicopters—crashed into&nbsp;a lava rock field near Kalea.&nbsp;The tail boom was recovered about 762 feet to the northeast of the main wreckage site.&nbsp;

 


The 407’s tail boom is attached to the intermediate fuselage with bolts, washers, and nuts that connect the four aft fuselage longerons to four corresponding longerons located at the tail boom’s forward end.&nbsp;Post-accident the operator elected to replace the tail boom attachment hardware on its remaining five Bell 407s.&nbsp;Before hardware removal, the operator torque-checked the attachment hardware and found no evidence of loose hardware, but&nbsp;eddy-current nondestructive inspection on the aft fuselage longerons uncovered cracks on two of these five&nbsp;407s.

 


Several bulletins and ADs have been issued since 2007 related to Bell 407 tail booms with regard to the aft fuselage top skin and bulkhead, replacement attachment hardware and torque checks, installation of external strap doublers on the upper-left longeron, and repair instructions for cracked longerons.

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

Bell 407 Tail Boom Separation Prompts FAASTeam Caution 

Bell 407 operators are advised to torque check tail boom attachment hardware following a June in-flight separation accident.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Matt Thurber

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Preparation and training resulted in a survivable accident

Bombardier Safety Standdown: Surviving the Fire

Aircraft caught fire and burned after hitting a vehicle

Five Killed in HondaJet Rejected Takeoff Crash at KFFZ

David Jack Kenny

Preliminary and final accident reports, November 2024

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: November 2024

Gordon Gilbert

Fatal accidents were down year over year from 12 to 10

Year-to-date Bizav Accidents Decline

Aircraft touched down on the runway then departed onto a grassy area

Passenger Lands King Air C90 after Pilot Medical Issue

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Black Hawk had landed on a private airstrip that was also a snowmobile trail

Snowmobiler Who Collided with Army Helo Awarded $3.3M

All five passengers drowned after autorotation into NYC's East River

Jury Awards $116M in Doors-off Helitour Crash

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

In this article

Bell

More In Accidents