19961209039179A

Helicopter landed on platform, tail rotor struck a ladder guard on crane, loss tail rotor and partial of another. (.4)the pilot hovered the helicopter about 3 feet above the helipad of an offshore platform, and initiated a pedal turn to keep the tailrotor clear of the stairwell and to align the helicopter into the wind for the landing. During the turn, the tailrotor struck a guard on the operator bucket of a crane, and one tail rotor blade separated from the helicopter. The helicopter rotated (uncontrolled) through 90 degrees of heading change, as the pilot rolled off the throttle and performed an autorotation onto the platform helipad. Winds were from the south at 10 gusting 18 knots. (-23) the aircraft struck a crane while hovering at an offshore platform at the east cameron block 71 in the gulf of Mexico. The pilot and sole passenger were not injured and the flight and a company visual flight rules plan was filed. The flight originated from west cameron 238, gulf of Mexico, about 15 minutes prior to the accident. Company personnel reported the following information to the inspector-in-charge. The helicopter approached the pl atform to the south with winds from the southwest at approximately 10 knots gusting to 18 knots. With the helicopter at a 3 foot hover above the platform the pilot initiated a pedal turn to align the helicopter on the platform, as the pilot did this the tailrotor struck a guard rail on a crane adjacent to the platform causing one rotor blade to depart the helicopter and damaging the other blade. The pilot was able to pull off the power and autorotate to the deck after about 90 degrees of uncontrolled turn. The helicopter was examined by company personnel and they reported damage to the tailrotor blades, gearbox, and to the tailboom at the gearbox attachment location.