Bell 525 in-flight break-up, July 6, 2016 - FINAL REPORT

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Not_Karl
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Bell 525 in-flight break-up, July 6, 2016 - FINAL REPORT

Postby Not_Karl » Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:53 pm

The fatal July 6, 2016 in-flight break-up of Bell 525 flight test vehicle 1 (FTV-1) was caused by “severe vibration of the helicopter that led to the crew's inability to maintain sufficient rotor rotation speed (Nr), leading to excessive main rotor blade flapping, subsequent main rotor blade contact with the tail boom, and the resultant in-flight breakup,” according to the NTSB final report released on January 16.

The NTSB wrote, "Contributing to the severity and sustainment of the vibration, which was not predicted during development, were (1) the collective biomechanical feedback and (2) the attitude and heading reference system response, both of which occurred due to the lack of protections in the flight control laws against the sustainment and growth of adverse feedback loops when the 6-hertz airframe vibration initiated. Contributing to the crew's inability to maintain sufficient Nr in the severe-vibration environment were (1) the lack of an automated safeguard in the modified one-engine-inoperative software used during flight testing to exit at a critical Nr threshold and (2) the lack of distinct and unambiguous cues for low Nr.”
Source: AINOnline
Final report: NTSB.
Seems like some Airbussy automation was lacking...
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