# Accident 20090408005289A: Bell 222B, Gulf Of Mexico, US, April 8, 2009

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 8, 2009, 17:00 local time
- Place: Gulf Of Mexico, US
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: C9PA
- Location: 31.0547° N, 97.5629° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.0547&lon=-97.5629&mi=10
- Aircraft: N309CH (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 222B
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 12,130 total, 320 in this make and model, 87 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN09LA252](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09LA252) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090408005289A

## Narrative

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

(-23)  ON 04/08/2009 AT APPROXIMATELY 17:00 CDT N309CH, MODEL BHT-222-B, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING LANDING ON A TANKER LOCATED IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, GOM.  ON LANDING THE TAIL ROTOR HIT A VALVE ASSEMBLY PROTRUDING FROM THE DECK.  THE AIRCRAFT TURNED APPROXIMATELY 45 DEGREES STRIKING THE GUARD RAIL AND CAME TO REST AT THAT POINT.  DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT INCLUDED BOTH TAIL ROTOR BLADES, TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX, LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, VERTICAL STABILIZER, LEFT AND BOTTOM AFT END OF THE TAIL BOOM AND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE JUST AFT OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED ON A 14 CFR, PART 135 FLIGHT ORIGINATING FORM KHOU, HOUSTON, TEXAS WITH THE DESTINATION BEING THE MOTOR TANKER, WILANA, STATIONED APPROXIMATELY 108 NM OUT IN THE GOM AT LAT: 28:32:54N, LONG: 93:46:42W.  THE PROPERLY CERTIFICATED PILOT AND 4 PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED.

## 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 CEN09LA252](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09LA252), Apr 8, 2009: Bell 222B (N309CH), Gulf of Mexico, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from obstructions while landing on a shipboard helipad.

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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