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20060217003369I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Skrsky S76C · Houma, LA · February 17, 2006

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 17, 2006 · 12:30 local
Place
Houma, LA
Phase of flight
Other Ground Ops
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
HEEA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N766P
Reported as
Skrsky S76C
People aboard
9
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
7,826 total2,529 in this make and model73 in the last 90 days

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 2-17-06, at approximately 1230 local, N766P, a SK-76C+ with a crew of two and seven passengers landed on the helideck of a moving vessel and while at 100% rotor RPM rotor blade contact was made with the vessel. After landing and during passenger transfer, a rapidly moving thunderstorm engulfed the vessel. For safety reasons and to maintain the capability of departing the vessel because of safety reasons the PIC elected to maintain the rotor RPM at 100% and to remain in place until the thunderstorm passed. During the microburst dissipation stage, an increase in wind velocity and wave action decreased the vessel stability. Coupled with the aforementioned and a failure of the helideck watershed system to shed water sufficient enough to prevent a three to eight inch buildup of water within the landing area coupled with the wave action of that water, the helicopter stability decreased and the aircraft began to slide forward and to the right. The aircraft slid approximately twelve feet forward and three feet to the right. The helicopter came to rest when the main rotor blades contacted a structural component of the vessel damaging the blade tip caps. Every attempt to arrest aircraft movement failed. The aircraft was secured, the aircraft damage was minor and the passengers and crewmembers sustained no injuries. A flight plan was filed. The weather was VFR with scattered thunderstorms.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON 2-17-06, AT APPROXIMATELY 1230 LOCAL, N766P, A SK-76C+ WITH A CREW OF TWO AND SEVEN PASSENGERS LANDED ON THE HELIDECK OF A MOVING VESSEL AND WHILE AT 100% ROTOR RPM ROTOR BLADE CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE VESSEL. AFTER LANDING AND DURING PASSENGER TRANSFER, A RAPIDLY MOVING THUNDERSTORM ENGULFED THE VESSEL. FOR SAFETY REASONS AND TO MAINTAIN THE CAPABILITY OF DEPARTING THE VESSEL BECAUSE OF SAFETY REASONS THE PIC ELECTED TO MAINTAIN THE ROTOR RPM AT 100% AND TO REMAIN IN PLACE UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORM PASSED. DURING THE MICROBURST DISSIPATION STAGE, AN INCREASE IN WIND VELOCITY AND WAVE ACTION DECREASED THE VESSEL STABILITY. COUPLED WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED AND A FAILURE OF THE HELIDECK WATERSHED SYSTEM TO SHED WATER SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO PREVENT A THREE TO EIGHT INCH BUILDUP OF WATER WITHIN THE LANDING AREA COUPLED WITH THE WAVE ACTION OF THAT WATER, THE HELICOPTER STABILITY DECREASED AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SLIDE FORWARD AND TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT SLID APPROXIMATELY TWELVE FEET FORWARD AND THREE FEET TO THE RIGHT. THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST WHEN THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED A STRUCTURAL COMPONENT OF THE VESSEL DAMAGING THE BLADE TIP CAPS. EVERY ATTEMPT TO ARREST AIRCRAFT MOVEMENT FAILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SECURED, THE AIRCRAFT DAMAGE WAS MINOR AND THE PASSENGERS AND CREWMEMBERS SUSTAINED NO INJURIES. A FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE WEATHER WAS VFR WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS.