# Incident 20071215829179I: Bell 407, Gulf Of Mexico, US, December 15, 2007

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 15, 2007, 15:04 local time
- Place: Gulf Of Mexico, US
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: YTRA
- Location: 27.9306° N, 93.7639° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.9306&lon=-93.7639&mi=10
- Aircraft: N407AK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N407AK-2009-03-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 407 (registry code 1182206, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-407) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C47 series (registry code 03029, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c47-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 407
- Reported engine: ALLSN 250C47B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,075 total, 84 in this make and model, 84 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DFW08IA045](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08IA045) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071215829179I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) HELICOPTER WAS OPERATING OFFSHORE (GALVESTON VOR 135/100) ENROUTE FROM ONE OIL PLATFORM TO ANOTHER WHEN THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT VIBRATIONS, FOLLOWED SHORTLY THEREAFTER BY A NOISE WHICH SOUNDED LIKE A LOUD POP. THE AIRCRAFT THEN BEGAN A SEVERE YAW TO THE RIGHT AND THE PILOT COULD NOT CORRECT WITH RUDDER PEDALS. RECOGNIZING A LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR AUTHORITY AND THE POSSIBILITY OF TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, THE PILOT ENTERED AUTOROTATION AND MADE A SUCCESSFUL WATER LANDING ON THE AIRCRAFT FLOATS. AFTER THE LANDING, THE PILOT DECIDED TO SHUT DOWN THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO THE ROUGH SEA STATE AND THE PILOT AND PASSENGER EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT AND ENTERED A LIFERAFT. ANOTHER COMPANY AIRCRAFT AIDED WITH COMMUNICATIONS AND EVENTUALLY A COAST GUARD JET AND THEN A HELICOPTER ARRIVED ON SCENE. PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE PICKED UP BY THE HELICOPTER (APPROXIMATELY 1730L) AND TRANSPORTED TO SCHOLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND THEN TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BUILDING (UTMB) FACILITY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DFW08IA045](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08IA045), Dec 15, 2007: Bell 407 (N407AK), Hig Island A595, incident, no damage. Probable cause: The loss of tail rotor effectiveness for undetermined reasons.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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