# Incident 19781207022779I: Bell 212, Patterson, LA, December 7, 1978

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 7, 1978, 18:00 local time
- Place: Patterson, LA
- Airport: Municipal
- Phase of flight: Aerial Taxi, Other Helicopter
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.6909° N, 91.3095° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Patterson, LA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.6909&lon=-91.3095&mi=10
- Aircraft: N71AL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N71AL-1986-06-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 212 (registry code 1181420, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-212) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 212
- Reported engine: PWA PT6T3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,876 total, 1,107 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19781207022779I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOUD BANG DURING 50-FOOT HOVER. PILOT LANDED & SECURED ENGINES. A SECTION OF THE AIR INLET HAD BEEN INJESTED.

## Other reports on N71AL (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19800218003369A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19800218003369A), Feb 18, 1980: Bell 212 (N71AL), Houma, LA, Substantial damage. Failure in tail rotor gear box during maintenance test flight. Hit ground during spin to right.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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