20011110034549A

Accident · No damage

FAA accident report · Bell 407 · Erath, LA · November 10, 2001

Date: November 10, 2001 · 17:00 local
Place: Erath, LA
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: IIFA
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N517R
NTSB investigation: NTSBFTW02LA033
Reported as: Bell 407

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.

(-23) Pilot departed an offshore oil/gas platform in the gulf of Mexico (smi 253) to return to industrial helicopters' base at scott, LA (10LA) while the aircraft was on the offshore platform, service personnel placed two fire extinguishers in the baggage compartment of the helicopter and did not secure them. On the inboard leg to scott, LA the pilot induced a sharp right yaw and caused the two fire bottles to slam against the cargo compartment door. The cargo door opened at the bottom latch, allowing the aircraft tie down ropes to stream out of the baggage compartment and wrap around the tail rotor gear box drive shaft. Metal ends of the tie down rope hit the tailboom, vertical fins and tail rotor. The tail rotor drive shaft sheared at a thomas coupling causing a loss of tail rotor authority. A successful autorotation was performed by the pilot resulting in no further damage to the helicopter.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT DEPARTED AN OFFSHORE OIL/GAS PLATFORM IN THE GULF OF MEXICO (SMI 253) TO RETURN TO INDUSTRIAL HELICOPTERS' BASE AT SCOTT, LA (10LA) WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON THE OFFSHORE PLATFORM, SERVICE PERSONNEL PLACED TWO FIRE EXTINGUISHERS IN THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT OF THE HELICOPTER AND DID NOT SECURE THEM. ON THE INBOARD LEG TO SCOTT, LA THE PILOT INDUCED A SHARP RIGHT YAW AND CAUSED THE TWO FIRE BOTTLES TO SLAM AGAINST THE CARGO COMPARTMENT DOOR. THE CARGO DOOR OPENED AT THE BOTTOM LATCH, ALLOWING THE AIRCRAFT TIE DOWN ROPES TO STREAM OUT OF THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT AND WRAP AROUND THE TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX DRIVE SHAFT. METAL ENDS OF THE TIE DOWN ROPE HIT THE TAILBOOM, VERTICAL FINS AND TAIL ROTOR. THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT SHEARED AT A THOMAS COUPLING CAUSING A LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR AUTHORITY. A SUCCESSFUL AUTOROTATION WAS PERFORMED BY THE PILOT RESULTING IN NO FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE HELICOPTER.

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 FTW02LA033Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportErath, LAThe pilot's inadvertant application of full right pedal which resulted in the baggage compartment door to open in-flight and a tie down rope to become entangled in the tail rotor drive system, and the failure of the tail rotor drive shaft resulting in the…Nov 10, 2001 · Substantial damage