Page:CAB Accident Report, New York Airways Flight 600.pdf/1

 5"” CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD F"°”°'1'O°11 AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT

memo: June 1;, i96h RELEASED. June 2A, 196A

NEW YORK AIRWAYS, INC. BOEING-VERTOL 107-II, N 667313 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT JAMAICA, NEW YORK OCTOBERwlh, 1,963

SYNOPSIS

New York Airways, Inc., Flight 600, a Boeing-Vertol lOT-II helicopter, N 6673D, crashed and burned seconds after lift-off at New York International Airport (Idlewild) at 1233 c.d.t., October IL, 1963. It was operating as a regularly scheduled helicopter flight from Idlewild to Newark International Airport With an en route stop at the Wall Street Heliport in Manhattan.

All occupants, three passengers and three crew members, were fatally injured. The helicopter was destroyed by impact and fire.

The Board determines the probable cause of this acCident was fatigue failure of the drive quill shaft due to contamination of the lubrication system in the aft transmiSSion assembly.

Investigation

New York Airways, Inc., Boeing—Vertol 107-11, N 6673D, operating as "ﬂight 600, crashed seconds after lift-off at New York International Airport (Idlewild) at 1233,1/ October 11;, 1963. All occupants, three passengers and three crew members, were fatally injured. This flight was regularly scheduled from Idlerld to Newark International Airport, with an intermediate stop at the Wall Street. Heliport in Manhattan.

In order to effect a change of equipment on Flight 600, N 6673B was ferried from La Guardia Airport to IdleWild. The captain stated that nothing unusual was noted in the operation of the helicopter during this seven minute flight, which arrived at 1213.

The scheduled crew and passengers then boarded the helicopter, departing the ramp on Schedule at 1230. The flight received clearance and took off at 1233. Ten seconds later an unintelligible static or clatter effect was heard on the Idlede Tower frequency. The local controller in the tower cab observed the separation of a rotor blade or blades and subsequent impact of the helicopter “1th the ground. The prescribed emergency procedures were initiated immediately

1/ All times herein are eastern daylight time based on the 2h—hour cloCk-