20090329012129I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 407 · Offshore Gomex · March 29, 2009

Date
March 29, 2009 · 14:00 local
Place
Offshore Gomex
Phase of flight
Landing
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
HEEA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N740PH
Reported as
Bell 407
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,800 total30 in this make and model60 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) Pilot in command made a day, VFR approach to an Offshore oil platform with 3 passengers on board and made his approach to the platform into the wind. Pilot stated he executed his approach to the platform so as to land slightly right of center and with the tail rotor still suspended over the water on touchdown. As the pilot described in his statement, as he crossed the deck edge, he applied some aft cyclic to stop his forward movement at which time he felt a slight jolt or bump through the airframe immediately followed by tailrotor vibrations just prior to touchdown. After shutdown, post flight inspection revealed damage to the lower vertical tail fin and damage to the tips of the tail rotor blades which had come in contact with the support tube for the chain link safety net around the deck edge.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT IN COMMAND MADE A DAY, VFR APPROACH TO AN OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM WITH 3 PASSENGERS ON BOARD AND MADE HIS APPROACH TO THE PLATFORM INTO THE WIND. PILOT STATED HE EXECUTED HIS APPROACH TO THE PLATFORM SO AS TO LAND SLIGHTLY RIGHT OF CENTER AND WITH THE TAIL ROTOR STILL SUSPENDED OVER THE WATER ON TOUCHDOWN. AS THE PILOT DESCRIBED IN HIS STATEMENT, AS HE CROSSED THE DECK EDGE, HE APPLIED SOME AFT CYCLIC TO STOP HIS FORWARD MOVEMENT AT WHICH TIME HE FELT A SLIGHT JOLT OR BUMP THROUGH THE AIRFRAME IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY TAILROTOR VIBRATIONS JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. AFTER SHUTDOWN, POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE LOWER VERTICAL TAIL FIN AND DAMAGE TO THE TIPS OF THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES WHICH HAD COME IN CONTACT WITH THE SUPPORT TUBE FOR THE CHAIN LINK SAFETY NET AROUND THE DECK EDGE.