STARS - Non-injury incident

Date: 15 January 2010 17:30 MST

Program: STARS
	1441 Aviation Park N
	Calgary, AB
	T2E 8M7

Type: BK-117
Tail #: C-FIOM

Weather: Clear. Not a factor

Team: 2 x Pilots, Flight Paramedic, Flight Nurse. No injuries reported. No patient. 

Description: 
	Following regularly scheduled maintenance on departure to a scene
	call, the flying pilot noticed that the tail rotor pedals were
	abnormally stiff.  The Flying Pilot asked the Captain for his
	assessment and transfered control.  The Captain agreed that the the
	pedals were abnormally stiff.  The mission was cancelled and the
	communications centre was notified.  
	
	Prepared for a pedal control failure, the crew returned to the airport
	and landed without further incident.

Additional Info: 
	The aircraft yaw brake was inspected during scheduled maintenance
	prior to the mission.  The Maintenance Manual requires the yaw brake
	nut to be torqued to between 16 and 19 Newtons.  The Engineer torqued
	the yaw brake nut to the maximum limit.  A dual inspection and a
	ground run was completed.  Pedal stiffness was not noticed until
	in-flight. 
	
	Yaw brake nut torque re-adjusted to 16N and a test flight was
	conducted.  The re-adjustment resolved the issue.

Source: Scott Young, Director, Aviation Operations

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programs when an accident / incident has occurred. Please share the above
information with your program staff. If you have further questions, please
contact the CONCERN Coordinator, David Kearns at 800 525 3712 or email:
coordinator@concern-network.org.

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