# Accident 19970918027589A: Bell 407, Venice, LA, September 18, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 18, 1997, 07:45 local time
- Place: Venice, LA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: HEER
- Location: 29.3802° N, 90.2702° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.3802&lon=-90.2702&mi=10
- Aircraft: N467PH, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N467PH) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 407 (registry code 1182206, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-407) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C20 series (registry code 03020, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c20-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 407
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97FA352](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA352) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970918027589A

## Narrative

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

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.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97FA352](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA352), Sep 18, 1997: Bell 407 (N467PH), Grand Isle S108, substantial damage. Probable cause: The 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…

## Other reports on N467PH (1)

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

- [Incident 20100914045769I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100914045769I), Sep 14, 2010: Bell 407 (N467PH), Nogales, AZ, Minor damage. On 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…

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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