19981028043809I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 206L3 · Fourchon, LA · October 28, 1998

Date: October 28, 1998 · 06:25 local
Place: Fourchon, LA
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: HEEA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N206FS
Reported as: Bell 206L3
People aboard: 5
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,506 total720 in this make and model243 in the last 90 days

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.

(-5)During cruise flight the pilot heard a loud bang as if something had hit the aircraft. The pilot made a precautionary landing at the nearest suitable location. Subsequent investigation revealed that maintenance personnel had inadvertently left a lifting device attached to the main rotor system after maintenance was performed. The pilot failed to detect the lifting device during preflight. The lifting device separated from the rotor system in flight and struck and damaged the main rotor blades.

As the FAA filed it

(-5)DURING CRUISE FLIGHT THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD BANG AS IF SOMETHING HAD HIT THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AT THE NEAREST SUITABLE LOCATION. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL HAD INADVERTENTLY LEFT A LIFTING DEVICE ATTACHED TO THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM AFTER MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED. THE PILOT FAILED TO DETECT THE LIFTING DEVICE DURING PREFLIGHT. THE LIFTING DEVICE SEPARATED FROM THE ROTOR SYSTEM IN FLIGHT AND STRUCK AND DAMAGED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES.