19970823023519A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Bell 206B · Oak Grove, AL · August 23, 1997

Date: August 23, 1997 · 10:30 local
Place: Oak Grove, AL
Operating rules: Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N7929J
NTSB investigation: NTSBFTW97LA326
Reported as: Bell 206B
Fatal injuries: 0

N7929JRegistration cancelled Mar 6, 2018 · Bell 206BS/N 663 · Built 1971 Airframe modelBell 206B Engine modelAllison 250 SER 250HPTurbo-shaft

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Helicopter lowering sling load onto a boat, tail rotor supposedly failed, struck boat, fell into water, sank. (-23) pilot approached boat offshore with a sling load. Pilot lost helicopter on first pass to boat, crashing into the gulf of Mexico.

As the FAA filed it

HELICOPTER LOWERING SLING LOAD ONTO A BOAT, TAIL ROTOR SUPPOSEDLY FAILED, STRUCK BOAT, FELL INTO WATER, SANK. (-23) PILOT APPROACHED BOAT OFFSHORE WITH A SLING LOAD. PILOT LOST HELICOPTER ON FIRST PASS TO BOAT, CRASHING INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB FTW97LA326Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportOak Grove, LAThe disconnect of the #5 tail rotor drive segment due to the debonding of the joint between the shaft tube and the flange fitting. Factors were the improper bead blasting of the tail rotor drive segment by an unknown maintenance personnel, and the lack of…Aug 23, 1997 · Substantial damage