# Incident 20000708024029I: Bell 206L1, Gulf Of Mexico, July 8, 2000

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 8, 2000, 14:12 local time
- Place: Gulf Of Mexico
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Pwr On Vertical Ldng/Rtrcrft
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: ALGA
- Aircraft: N206SL, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N206SL) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 (registry code 1182107, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-helicopter-textron-206l-1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C28 series (registry code 03022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c28-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206L1
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 4,200 total, 1,400 in this make and model, 206 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000708024029I

## Narrative

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

(-23)DURING A NORMAL TO SHALLOW APPROACH TO AN OFFSHORE PLATFORM (WEST CAMERON 575B), PILOT MISJUDGED THREE FEET TERMINATION TO HOVER ALTITUDE. THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE PLATFORM IN A NOSE HIGH ALTITUDE CAUSING THE REAR OF THE SKIDS TO STRIKE THE PLATFORM FIRST AND THE HELICOPTER TO ROCK FORWARD.  THE PIC SHUTDOWN THE HELICOPTER TO INSPECT FOR DAMAGE AND FOUND MARKS ON BOTH TAIL ROTOR BLADES INDICATING A TAIL ROTOR STRIKE.  FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE TAIL ROTOR HAD STRUCK A SOLAR PANEL.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.