20050711017909A

Accident · Minor damage

FAA accident report · Bell 430 · Gulf Of Mexico, US · July 11, 2005

Date: July 11, 2005 · 09:02 local
Place: Gulf Of Mexico, US
Airport: Offshore Oil Platform
Phase of flight: Final Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: AC2A
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N430CV
NTSB investigation: NTSBDFW05LA180
Reported as: Bell 430
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 17,229 total246 in this make and model107 in the last 90 days

N430CVRegistration cancelled Jul 22, 2013 · Bell 430S/N 49072 · Built 2000 Airframe modelBell 430 Engine modelAllison 250 SER 250HPTurbo-shaft

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) On short final to the heliport, the pilot heard and felt a bump in the flight controls. The pilot executed a hovering autorotation onto the heliport. The tail rotor gearbox mounting studs broke and the tail rotor assembly rotated upwards cutting off the vertical fin. It cannot be determined if the tail rotor struck an object on landing.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON SHORT FINAL TO THE HELIPORT, THE PILOT HEARD AND FELT A BUMP IN THE FLIGHT CONTROLS. THE PILOT EXECUTED A HOVERING AUTOROTATION ONTO THE HELIPORT. THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX MOUNTING STUDS BROKE AND THE TAIL ROTOR ASSEMBLY ROTATED UPWARDS CUTTING OFF THE VERTICAL FIN. IT CANNOT BE DETERMINED IF THE TAIL ROTOR STRUCK AN OBJECT ON LANDING.

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 DFW05LA180Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportGulf of MexicoThe helicopter's tail rotor blade's contact with an unknown object during landing.Jul 11, 2005 · Substantial damage