Sacramento Mather Airport, Sacramento, CA
Airport Location: Sacramento Mather Airport is
located 10 miles east of Sacramento, California.
Airport History: Originally called Mills Field, Mather Field takes it's name
from Second Lieutenant Carl Mather, an Air Force test pilot who was killed
in a collision at Ellington Field in Texas in 1918. Mather got his
pilot's license and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army
Signal Corp at the age of 16. Five days later, he died during one of
the very first training classes for World War I pilots. The balance of
his class was stationed at Mills Field after training and requested the name
change to Mather Field. The new name became offical on May 2, 1918.
The new pilots continued to train in Curtiss JN-4 aircraft and by 1923
Mather Field was closed due to the end of the war.
In 1930 Mather Field hosted an all Air Corp tactical exercise and in 1933
all existing buildings were demolished. Mather's barren airstrip
became the ideal location for field training.
By 1941, the dormant field was fully reactivated for World War II.
Once again, Mather was the site for pilot, navigator, observer and
bombardier training. It was also a transit point and stopover for
troops coming and going into combat duty in the Pacific during the war.
In 1958, the Strategic Air Command B-52 wing was assigned to Mather and
continued to use the field for touch and go exercises even after being
inactivated in 1989.
In the 1990's Mather Air Force Base was the site of training for long-range,
over-water navigation. In 1993 the Air Force transferred the base to
the County of Sacramento for use as a civilian airport, Mather Airport which
opened in 1995.
Sacramento Mather Airport Today: Heavy air cargo transport
activity; Helicopter and military operations;
Airport
Services & Amenities:
American Academy of Aeronautics; Atlantic Aviation;
Elite Air Interiors; Mather Aviation LLC; Helipads; Food and lodging nearby;
Public transportation; Taxis; Rental cars available;
Special Events and Attractions: American River; California Railroad
Museum; Folsom; Golf; Old Sacramento;
Airport
Area Accident History:
Accident occurred Wednesday, October 15, 2003 in
SACRAMENTO, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/25/2007
Aircraft: Bell UH-1H, registration: N114FD
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The helicopter landed hard following a loss of
engine power in the traffic pattern. The pilot reported that he picked up the
helicopter after maintenance was performed on the audio and visual low rpm
warning systems and was positioning the helicopter to back to the airport. As he
entered the pattern, he heard a bang and what he described as "a horribly loud
grinding sound coming from the rear of the aircraft," and lost engine power. The
pilot entered an autorotation to a clear area on the airport. As the helicopter
neared the touchdown point, the pilot realized the selected landing area was
sloped and so he increased collective to extend the glide to reach a flat area.
The helicopter landed hard. A teardown and examination of the engine disclosed
that the type and degree of damage to the engine was indicative of the
separation of a portion of a planetary reduction gear, which resulted in a piece
of inlet housing entering the compressor. This resulted in damage to the
compressor airfoils and a loss of power. The separation of the portion of
planetary reduction gear was determined to be the result of a fatigue fracture
emanating from the aft root corner of one gear tooth. The root cause of the
fatigue fracture could not be determined due to smearing of the initiation site.
The planetary gears installed in the engine were military direct purchase
breakout parts. The engine manufacturer does not approve of the use of military
direct purchase hardware in FAA certified or military surplus engines used in
public-use operations. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the
probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: The loss of engine power due to
the fatigue failure of a planetary reduction gear.
Airport Approach /
Landing:
