20040819023639I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 412 · Venice, LA · August 19, 2004

Date: August 19, 2004 · 07:05 local
Place: Venice, LA
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: HEEA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N22347
NTSB investigation: NTSBFTW04IA217
Reported as: Bell 412
People aboard: 9
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 15,549 total2,642 in this make and model

N22347Registration cancelled Feb 21, 2017 · Bell 412S/N 36005 · Built 1994 Airframe modelBell 412 Engine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PT6T-3 seriesTurbo-prop

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) The aircraft lost the tail rotor and the tail rotor gearbox in cruise flight over the gulf of Mexico. The pilot executed an autorotational landing to the water with the emergency floats inflated. The two pilots and seven passengers exited the aircraft into the emergency rafts and were picked up by a boat. The tail rotor and a significant portion of the tail rotor gearbox were not recovered. The remaining portion of the tail rotor gearbox is scheduled for metallurgical analysis. The national transportion safety board is also conducting an investigation into this incident (ref. NTSB incident no. FTW04IA217).

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT LOST THE TAIL ROTOR AND THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX IN CRUISE FLIGHT OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE PILOT EXECUTED AN AUTOROTATIONAL LANDING TO THE WATER WITH THE EMERGENCY FLOATS INFLATED. THE TWO PILOTS AND SEVEN PASSENGERS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE EMERGENCY RAFTS AND WERE PICKED UP BY A BOAT. THE TAIL ROTOR AND A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX WERE NOT RECOVERED. THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX IS SCHEDULED FOR METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTION SAFETY BOARD IS ALSO CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS INCIDENT (REF. NTSB INCIDENT NO. FTW04IA217).

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 FTW04IA217Incident · No injuriesIncident investigationFinal reportSouth Pass 65The failure and separation of the tail rotor gearbox for undetermined reasons.Aug 19, 2004 · Minor damage