The Garlick Helicopters UH-1H was being flown in a firefighting operation on the Australian island of Tasmania, hauling an underslung water bucket to be used in extinguishing the flames, when the pilot released the bucket early and flew the helicopter to an open paddock, where it rotated, pitched nose down, and plunged to the ground. The pilot was killed and the helicopter was destroyed by the crash and subsequent fire.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said, in its final report on the Feb. 14, 2022, crash, that the helicopter’s engine-to-transmission main KAflex drive shaft1 had “partially failed and entered fail-safe mode,”2 prompting the pilot to release the underslung water bucket and attempt to divert toward clear ground. As the helicopter slowed, the drive shaft failed completely, causing an immediate loss of drive to the rotor system.
“Following loss of drive to the main rotor system, the pilot was unable to complete a s…
