# Incident 20090329012129I: Bell 407, Offshore Gomex, March 29, 2009

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 29, 2009, 14:00 local time
- Place: Offshore Gomex
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: HEEA
- Aircraft: N740PH (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 407
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,800 total, 30 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090329012129I

## Narrative

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

(-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.

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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