# Accident 20020629013969A: Bell 206L3, June 29, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 29, 2002, 10:00 local time
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.2014° N, 95.6347° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.2014&lon=-95.6347&mi=10
- Aircraft: N255EV (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206L3
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW02LA200](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA200) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020629013969A

## Narrative

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

(.19) ON JUNE 29, 2002, AT 1000 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A BELL 206L3 HELICOPTER, N255EV, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED AND SEVERED THE TAILBOOM WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SHUTDOWN WHILE ON AN OFF-SHORE PLATFORM IN THE GULF OF MEXICO KNOWN AS BRAZOS A-19. THE INSTRUMENT RATED COMMERCIAL PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE HELICOPTER, WAS NOT INJURED. THE HELICOPTER WAS OWNED AND OPERATED BY EVERGREEN HELICOPTERS INTERNATIONAL, INC., AN ON-DEMAND AIR TAXI OPERATOR BASED AT GALVESTON, TEXAS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 POSITIONING FLIGHT FOR WHICH A COMPANY VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE POSITIONING FLIGHT ORIGINATED ABOUT 5 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FROM ANOTHER NEARBY OFFSHORE PLATFORM KNOWN AS BRAZOS A-19 JD. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS WELL AWARE OF THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY APPROACHING THE OFFSHORE PLATFORM. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AFTER LANDING AT THE HELIPAD FOR THE BRAZOS A-19 PLATFORM, WHICH IS LOCATED 200 FEET OFF THE SURFACE OF THE OCEAN, HE ALIGNED THE HELICOPTER INTO THE PREVAILING HEADWIND AND INITIATED THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN PROCEDURES. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN HE APPLIED THE ROTOR BRAKE,THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES IMPACTED AND SEVERED THE TAILBOOM. THE WINDS AT THE PLATFORM AT THE TIME OF THE LANDING WERE REPORTED AS "STEADY" FROM 135 DEGREES AT 20 KNOTS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE WINDS GUSTED IN EXCESS OF 70 KNOTS WHEN THE HELICOPTER ENCOUNTERED THE MICROBURST. THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT THE EFFECT OF THE MICROBURST SPUN THE HELICOPTER ABOUT 15 FEET TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE PLATFORM AFTER THE TAILBOOM WAS SEVERED. (-23) PILOT STATED THAT AFTER LANDING, DURING ENGINE SHUTDOWN, WIND INCREASED TO 50-60 KTS THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM BECAME UNBALANCED STRIKING THE TAILBOOM. PILOT STATED THE ROTOR BRAKE APPEARED TO FAIL TO STOP THE MAIN ROTOR. THIS ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON OIL PLATFORM #BA-A19B, GULF OF MEXICO, SCENE NOT ACCESSIBLE. AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED AT THE OPERATORS FACILITY.

## 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 FTW02LA200](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA200), Jun 29, 2002: Bell 206L3 (N255EV), Gulf of Mexico, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain proper rotor RPM during engine shutdown due to high wind conditions, which resulted in the main rotor blades contacting the tailboom. A contributing factor was the…

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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