On Friday 15 March 2002, at about 0945, ZK-HIC, a Schweizer 269C helicopter, lost tail rotor authority during a low-level spraying run. Normal helicopter control was lost and the pilot, unable to arrest the ensuing spin, carried out an emergency landing. The pilot, the only occupant, was uninjured.
A defective tail rotor driveshaft aft bumper plug permitted the driveshaft to disengage its drive coupling to the tail rotor gearbox.
A safety issue identified was the need for duplicate inspections of helicopter tail rotor drive trains, and a safety recommendation was made to the Director of Civil Aviation addressing this issue.
