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20070813018509A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Bell 206L3 · Gulf Of Mexico, US · August 13, 2007

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Date
August 13, 2007 · 14:00 local
Place
Gulf Of Mexico, US
Phase of flight
Final Approach
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
EGIA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N85TC
Reported as
Bell 206L3
Reported engine
Allison 250C30
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
13,245 total2,475 in this make and model95 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) While enroute to an offshore oil platform, N85TC, a Bell helicopter 206L-3 operated by evergreen helicopters, in galveston, Texas. The pilot did not refold and sat in the backseat a large (3'X4') sunshade. He completed the first leg of the trip without incident and was returning to the platform. About two minutes prior to landing he heard a sudden noise accompanied by a pronounced roughness in the tail rotor system. After a few seconds the roughness decreased somewhat and he was able to determine that the tail rotor was still functioning and that the pedals were quite stiff but also still functional. The pilot then elected to make an emergency landing on an offshore platform in the ship shoal area. Upon landing it was determined that the 3'X4' flexible sunshade used in the helicopter had departed out of the open back door side window. The sunshade contacted the leading edge of the left hand horizontal stabilizer, and then impacted the tail rotor blade assembly. The wire from the screen wrapped around the tail rotor pitch change links and the gear box output shaft. The out of balance condition caused the tail rotor gear box to shear two (2) of the four (4) mounting studs and pull a third stud loose. Heavy contact from the wire hit the left side of the tail boom forward of the tail rotor blade area. The vertical fin had damage on the left lower quadrant. The tail rotor blades received scoring scratching and small punctures in both blades.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) WHILE ENROUTE TO AN OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM, N85TC, A BELL HELICOPTER 206L-3 OPERATED BY EVERGREEN HELICOPTERS, IN GALVESTON, TEXAS. THE PILOT DID NOT REFOLD AND SAT IN THE BACKSEAT A LARGE (3'X4') SUNSHADE. HE COMPLETED THE FIRST LEG OF THE TRIP WITHOUT INCIDENT AND WAS RETURNING TO THE PLATFORM. ABOUT TWO MINUTES PRIOR TO LANDING HE HEARD A SUDDEN NOISE ACCOMPANIED BY A PRONOUNCED ROUGHNESS IN THE TAIL ROTOR SYSTEM. AFTER A FEW SECONDS THE ROUGHNESS DECREASED SOMEWHAT AND HE WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE TAIL ROTOR WAS STILL FUNCTIONING AND THAT THE PEDALS WERE QUITE STIFF BUT ALSO STILL FUNCTIONAL. THE PILOT THEN ELECTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON AN OFFSHORE PLATFORM IN THE SHIP SHOAL AREA. UPON LANDING IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE 3'X4' FLEXIBLE SUNSHADE USED IN THE HELICOPTER HAD DEPARTED OUT OF THE OPEN BACK DOOR SIDE WINDOW. THE SUNSHADE CONTACTED THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LEFT HAND HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, AND THEN IMPACTED THE TAIL ROTOR BLADE ASSEMBLY. THE WIRE FROM THE SCREEN WRAPPED AROUND THE TAIL ROTOR PITCH CHANGE LINKS AND THE GEAR BOX OUTPUT SHAFT. THE OUT OF BALANCE CONDITION CAUSED THE TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX TO SHEAR TWO (2) OF THE FOUR (4) MOUNTING STUDS AND PULL A THIRD STUD LOOSE. HEAVY CONTACT FROM THE WIRE HIT THE LEFT SIDE OF THE TAIL BOOM FORWARD OF THE TAIL ROTOR BLADE AREA. THE VERTICAL FIN HAD DAMAGE ON THE LEFT LOWER QUADRANT. THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES RECEIVED SCORING SCRATCHING AND SMALL PUNCTURES IN BOTH BLADES.