NTSB Identification: LAX08IA241
Incident occurred Monday, July
21, 2008 in Salinas, CA
Aircraft: MD Helicopters Inc MD 900, registration:
N902CS
Injuries: 3 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain
errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has
been completed.
On July 21, 2008, at 1209 Pacific daylight time, an
MD Helicopters, Inc., MD 900, N902CS, experienced a loss of anti-torque control
and made a hard landing at the Salinas Municipal Airport (SNS), Salinas,
California. California Shock Trauma Air Rescue, d.b.a. CALSTAR, operated the
helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91
as a positioning flight. The helicopter sustained minor damage to the skids. The
pilot and 2 flight nurses were not injured; there was no patient on board. The
flight departed from the San Jose Regional Medical Center (RMC) helipad with a
planned destination of SNS. A company visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan had
been filed.

According to the pilot, while on a 1-mile final, he noted
that he was using more left pedal than he thought was necessary for the flight
profile. He requested with SNS tower to perform a right 360-degree turn and then
continue on to the CALSTAR ramp. Once the turn was completed, he continued on
with his intended landing spot, as everything appeared normal. The pilot brought
the helicopter to an 8- to 10-foot hover, the nose broke to the right, and the
helicopter started an uncommanded right spin. He reported that full left pedal
had no affect on stopping the spin. He then performed a hovering autorotation
per the rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) while simultaneously rotating both twist
grips to idle power. The helicopter landed hard and bounced off the ground about
10 inches, coming to rest about 45 degrees to the right of the first touchdown
point.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector
responded to SNS to examine the helicopter. He along with CALSTAR maintenance
personnel found that the thruster cable control rod end had failed; Directional
Control Rod Assembly - Thruster Extension part number 900C2010582-103. The part
and associated hardware were shipped to the Safety Board's Metallurgical
Laboratory, Washington, D.C., for further examination.

Index
for Jul2008 | Index of
months