Narrative:

Approximately mar/sun/95 I was departing a remote location 51 NM southeast of scc. This was a skt strip that had been packed with rollogons. The length packed was 850 ft approximately with an acceptable run off area of snow (no berms were piled up from plowing etc). There were 4 souls on board the aircraft (includes the pilot). The strip was about 300 ft on level ground and dropped down slope to the west 550 ft in length. The strip was on tundra covered with snow, packed hard, not graded. The run off area was snow covered and light drifts. I started takeoff roll from end of strip departing west, down hill. On takeoff, I was having a pull to the right so applied left rudder and brake to maintain direction control. The tail came up and flying speed was achieved before end of packed snow. I elected to roll on out of the takeoff and rotate towards end of strip. Aircraft rotated properly, but immediately seemed to settle back down. As aircraft settled back down, instead of a 'good ski feeling' and continued takeoff, there was a vicious jerk and nose over tendency. The left door broke out and windshield came loose. I was able to get aircraft in air immediately. Feeling certain there must have been substantial gear damage, I felt a landing on rough soft surface could be very dangerous. I checked all passenger for ability to stay warm and elected to return to scc. R-hand passenger (forward) looked at gear and saw right ski was gone and gear at approximately 20 degree angle. 20 NM out of scc, I called for fire trucks. I attempted a smooth landing on icy part of runway in order to avoid as serious a ground loop as possible. When touching down and gradually applying weight to right main, I could feel no structural resistance. I pulled power back to full idle and continued landing as softly and smoothly as possible. The aircraft slid a bit and then slid sideways and came to stop. The landing was not violent. There were no injuries and all passenger exited immediately after aircraft shut down. The rollogon support team returned the ski 2 days later the ski was bent/broke in half as shown. The insurance investigator showed up to inspect and review wreckage and determine cause. His determination upon inspection was bolt failure and inadequate front cable attach bracket assembly and poor design. The (bolts) screws seemed to have been installed with improper hardware (4 total number 10 and hardware screws) 2 or 3 were all threaded and 1 or 2 had a collar or neck. Not even consistent type or shear strength. With an aircraft as heavy as a helio and as large as its skiis are, an attach point of cable and safety cable needs to be of substantial structure to support skiis on rough or smooth surfaces.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SNOW TKOF, SKI BROKE WHEN ACFT SETTLED AFTER ROTATION WITH SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE.

Narrative: APPROX MAR/SUN/95 I WAS DEPARTING A REMOTE LOCATION 51 NM SE OF SCC. THIS WAS A SKT STRIP THAT HAD BEEN PACKED WITH ROLLOGONS. THE LENGTH PACKED WAS 850 FT APPROX WITH AN ACCEPTABLE RUN OFF AREA OF SNOW (NO BERMS WERE PILED UP FROM PLOWING ETC). THERE WERE 4 SOULS ON BOARD THE ACFT (INCLUDES THE PLT). THE STRIP WAS ABOUT 300 FT ON LEVEL GND AND DROPPED DOWN SLOPE TO THE W 550 FT IN LENGTH. THE STRIP WAS ON TUNDRA COVERED WITH SNOW, PACKED HARD, NOT GRADED. THE RUN OFF AREA WAS SNOW COVERED AND LIGHT DRIFTS. I STARTED TKOF ROLL FROM END OF STRIP DEPARTING W, DOWN HILL. ON TKOF, I WAS HAVING A PULL TO THE R SO APPLIED L RUDDER AND BRAKE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTION CTL. THE TAIL CAME UP AND FLYING SPD WAS ACHIEVED BEFORE END OF PACKED SNOW. I ELECTED TO ROLL ON OUT OF THE TKOF AND ROTATE TOWARDS END OF STRIP. ACFT ROTATED PROPERLY, BUT IMMEDIATELY SEEMED TO SETTLE BACK DOWN. AS ACFT SETTLED BACK DOWN, INSTEAD OF A 'GOOD SKI FEELING' AND CONTINUED TKOF, THERE WAS A VICIOUS JERK AND NOSE OVER TENDENCY. THE L DOOR BROKE OUT AND WINDSHIELD CAME LOOSE. I WAS ABLE TO GET ACFT IN AIR IMMEDIATELY. FEELING CERTAIN THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIAL GEAR DAMAGE, I FELT A LNDG ON ROUGH SOFT SURFACE COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. I CHKED ALL PAX FOR ABILITY TO STAY WARM AND ELECTED TO RETURN TO SCC. R-HAND PAX (FORWARD) LOOKED AT GEAR AND SAW R SKI WAS GONE AND GEAR AT APPROX 20 DEG ANGLE. 20 NM OUT OF SCC, I CALLED FOR FIRE TRUCKS. I ATTEMPTED A SMOOTH LNDG ON ICY PART OF RWY IN ORDER TO AVOID AS SERIOUS A GND LOOP AS POSSIBLE. WHEN TOUCHING DOWN AND GRADUALLY APPLYING WT TO R MAIN, I COULD FEEL NO STRUCTURAL RESISTANCE. I PULLED PWR BACK TO FULL IDLE AND CONTINUED LNDG AS SOFTLY AND SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE. THE ACFT SLID A BIT AND THEN SLID SIDEWAYS AND CAME TO STOP. THE LNDG WAS NOT VIOLENT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND ALL PAX EXITED IMMEDIATELY AFTER ACFT SHUT DOWN. THE ROLLOGON SUPPORT TEAM RETURNED THE SKI 2 DAYS LATER THE SKI WAS BENT/BROKE IN HALF AS SHOWN. THE INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR SHOWED UP TO INSPECT AND REVIEW WRECKAGE AND DETERMINE CAUSE. HIS DETERMINATION UPON INSPECTION WAS BOLT FAILURE AND INADEQUATE FRONT CABLE ATTACH BRACKET ASSEMBLY AND POOR DESIGN. THE (BOLTS) SCREWS SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN INSTALLED WITH IMPROPER HARDWARE (4 TOTAL NUMBER 10 AND HARDWARE SCREWS) 2 OR 3 WERE ALL THREADED AND 1 OR 2 HAD A COLLAR OR NECK. NOT EVEN CONSISTENT TYPE OR SHEAR STRENGTH. WITH AN ACFT AS HVY AS A HELIO AND AS LARGE AS ITS SKIIS ARE, AN ATTACH POINT OF CABLE AND SAFETY CABLE NEEDS TO BE OF SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT SKIIS ON ROUGH OR SMOOTH SURFACES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.