# Incident 20040208002449I: Bell 407, Houma, LA, February 8, 2004

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 8, 2004, 10:40 local time
- Place: Houma, LA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Pwr On Vertical Ldng/Rtrcrft
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: HEEA
- Location: 29.5786° N, 90.7079° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Houma, LA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.5786&lon=-90.7079&mi=10
- Aircraft: N491PH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N491PH-2025-11-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 407 (registry code 1182206, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-407) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 407
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,490 total, 172 in this make and model, 93 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040208002449I

## Narrative

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

(-23) WHILE EXECUTING AN APPROACH TO LANDING AT AN OFFSHORE HELIDECK, SS248G, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE NOTICED A LARGE GATHERING OF PELICANS, A LARGE SALTWATER FOUL, ON OR ABOUT THE LANDING AREA. AS THE AIRCRAFT NEARED THE TOUCHDOWN AREA, THE WATER FOUL DEPARTED THE HELIDECK. THE PILOT STATED THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY TO THE WATER FOUL'S DEPARTURE, THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO ENCOUNTER A GUST OF WIND DIRECTLY OFF THE NOSE CAUSING THE NOSE TO PIVOT UPWARD. THE PILOT TERMINATED HIS LANDING TO THE HELIDECK, LOADED TWO PASSENGERS ABOARD, INCREASED THE ROTOR RPM FOR DEPARTURE AND NOTICED A HIGHER THAN NORMAL HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATION. THE PILOT REQUESTED THE PASSENGERS TO VERIFY DOOR CLOSURE AND THAT ALL SEAT BELTS WERE WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE AIRCRAFT CABIN. THE VIBRATION REMAINED, THE PILOT ELECTED TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE AIRCRAFT. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TAIL ROTOR HAD IMPACTED THE SAFETY FENCE DURING LANDING CAUSING AN OUT OF BALANCE CONDITION. THE WEATHER WAS VFR WITH GUSTY WINGS. A COMPANY FLIGHT WAS ON FILE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^

## Other reports on N491PH (1)

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

- [Accident 20030511013379A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030511013379A), May 11, 2003: Bell 407 (N491PH), Morgan City, LA, Substantial damage. (-23) The aircraft lost engine power while in cruise flight. The pilot reported that the "fadec fail" warning activated and the rotor RPM decayed to about 90%.…

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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