# Incident 19940313011519I: Bell 206L3, Patterson, LA, March 13, 1994

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 13, 1994, 08:15 local time
- Place: Patterson, LA
- Phase of flight: Pwr On Vertical Ldng/Rtrcrft
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: ALGA
- 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: N348AL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N348AL-2002-03-22) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206L-3 (registry code 1182108, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206l-3) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C30 series (registry code 03015, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c30-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206L3
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C30P
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 11,908 total, 171 in this make and model, 194 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940313011519I

## Narrative

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

NARRATIVE: WHILE AT A CRUISE FLIGHT OF 1,000 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE OVERHEAD AREA OF THE AIRCRAFT, FOLLOWED BY A BINDING IN THE CYCLIC CONTROL SYSTEM. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE PULLED THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM CIRCUIT BREAKER, TURNED THE HYDRAULIC SWITCH OFF, AND TURNED THE AIRCRAFT BACK TOWARD THE BEACH. WITH THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM OFF, THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE NEAREST BEACH, WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY THREE MILES FROM THE INITIAL OCCURRENCE OF THE HYDRAULIC FAILURE. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT OR INJURY TO PERSONNEL. INVESTIGATION BY AIR LOGISTICS MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL REVEALED THAT A HYDRAULIC PRESSURE LINE HAD RUPTURED, CAUSING TOTAL LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID. THE FAILED HYDRAULIC LINE WAS TAGGED WITH AN AIRCRAFT PART IDENTIFICATION AND RELEASE TAG, FAA FORM 8020-2, AND SENT TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR EVALUATION. A MAINTENANCE DIFFICULTY RECORD WAS ALSO SUBMITTED FOR THE OCCURRENCE.

## Other reports on N348AL (1)

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

- [Accident 20011018037329A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011018037329A), Oct 18, 2001: Bell 206L3 (N348AL), LA, No damage. (-23) While enroute from offshore location to creole, LA, aircraft suffered power loss and pilot autorotated to the water. Pilot reported difficulty in…

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.