20060318004309I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 206L-3 · Intercoastal Ci, LA · March 18, 2006

Date: March 18, 2006 · 09:55 local
Place: Intercoastal Ci, LA
Phase of flight: Hovering
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: HEEA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4180F
Reported as: Bell 206L3
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,851 total61 in this make and model61 in the last 90 days

N4180FRegistered now · Bell 206L-3S/N 51469 · Built 1991 Airframe modelBell 206L-3 Engine modelAllison 250-C30 seriesTurbo-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) Pilot landed on VE-245 (petroleum platform in the gulf of Mexico) to pick up fuel. He parked his a/c facing north and on the east side of the landing platform (east side of the red line). After refueling and starting the a/c, he picked the a/c up into a hover and made a right pedal turn to align the aircraft into the wind prior to takeoff. (Winds were reported east, southeast at 25 knots). A gust of wind and/or increased wind turbulence across the landing platform suddenly caused the nose to rise and the aircraft moved backward across the red line resulting in the tailrotor blades striking a permanently mounted air vent structure next to the fuel hose reel. The pilot then made an immediate landing, shutdown the aircraft, and subsequently contacted phi to advise of the occurrence.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT LANDED ON VE-245 (PETROLEUM PLATFORM IN THE GULF OF MEXICO) TO PICK UP FUEL. HE PARKED HIS A/C FACING NORTH AND ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE LANDING PLATFORM (EAST SIDE OF THE RED LINE). AFTER REFUELING AND STARTING THE A/C, HE PICKED THE A/C UP INTO A HOVER AND MADE A RIGHT PEDAL TURN TO ALIGN THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE WIND PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. (WINDS WERE REPORTED EAST, SOUTHEAST AT 25 KNOTS). A GUST OF WIND AND/OR INCREASED WIND TURBULENCE ACROSS THE LANDING PLATFORM SUDDENLY CAUSED THE NOSE TO RISE AND THE AIRCRAFT MOVED BACKWARD ACROSS THE RED LINE RESULTING IN THE TAILROTOR BLADES STRIKING A PERMANENTLY MOUNTED AIR VENT STRUCTURE NEXT TO THE FUEL HOSE REEL. THE PILOT THEN MADE AN IMMEDIATE LANDING, SHUTDOWN THE AIRCRAFT, AND SUBSEQUENTLY CONTACTED PHI TO ADVISE OF THE OCCURRENCE.