19970918027589A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Bell 407 · Venice, LA · September 18, 1997

Date: September 18, 1997 · 07:45 local
Place: Venice, LA
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: HEER
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N467PH
NTSB investigation: NTSBFTW97FA352
Reported as: Bell 407
Fatal injuries: 0

N467PHRegistered now · Bell 407S/N 53142 · Built 1997 Airframe modelBell 407 Engine modelAllison 250-C20 seriesTurbo-prop

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.

Pilot heard a loud bang,aircraft yawed to the right, nosed down. Crashed in water, deployed emergency float. (-23) on September 18, 1997, a Bell, model BTH-406, helicopter, operated by petroleum helicopters, inc., made an emergency landing into the gulf of Mexico after losing the aft tail boom section, vertical fin, tail rotor, and tail rotor gearbox. The aircraft had departed british petroleum platform EB826 for Venice, Louisiana. At 0737 central standard time, while in cruise flight, the pilot stated that he experienced a violent yaw and a loud bang, followed by a grinding noise. The aircraft pitched nose down and a turn to the right. The pilot stated that he managed to level the aircraft just before entering the water. After entering the water, the floats were deployed and a raft was inflated. The pilot and four passengers exited the aircraft into the raft. All five occupants were taken to west jefferson hospital in new orleans, Louisiana, for observation and were later released.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT HEARD A LOUD BANG,AIRCRAFT YAWED TO THE RIGHT, NOSED DOWN. CRASHED IN WATER, DEPLOYED EMERGENCY FLOAT. (-23) ON SEPTEMBER 18, 1997, A BELL, MODEL BTH-406, HELICOPTER, OPERATED BY PETROLEUM HELICOPTERS, INC., MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO AFTER LOSING THE AFT TAIL BOOM SECTION, VERTICAL FIN, TAIL ROTOR, AND TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX. THE AIRCRAFT HAD DEPARTED BRITISH PETROLEUM PLATFORM EB826 FOR VENICE, LOUISIANA. AT 0737 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE EXPERIENCED A VIOLENT YAW AND A LOUD BANG, FOLLOWED BY A GRINDING NOISE. THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED NOSE DOWN AND A TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE MANAGED TO LEVEL THE AIRCRAFT JUST BEFORE ENTERING THE WATER. AFTER ENTERING THE WATER, THE FLOATS WERE DEPLOYED AND A RAFT WAS INFLATED. THE PILOT AND FOUR PASSENGERS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE RAFT. ALL FIVE OCCUPANTS WERE TAKEN TO WEST JEFFERSON HOSPITAL IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, FOR OBSERVATION AND WERE LATER RELEASED.

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 FTW97FA352Accident · Minor injuriesField investigationFinal reportGrand Isle S108The tail rotor blade strike(s) that severed the aft portion of the tailboom, subsequently rendering the pilot with no tail rotor control while in cruise flight. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced autorotative landing.Sep 18, 1997 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N467PH · 1

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

Incident 20100914045769ICruise/Level Flight · Nogales, AZOn 9-14-2010 at 1645 N467PH was flying at 1000' AGL, 135 knots gs when a vulture struck and shattered the rightside windscreen. The vulture then struck the aft portion of the pilot's instrument panel. It then struck the pilot in the chest before ending up at…Sep 14, 2010 · Minor damage