# Accident 20121022024439A: Agusta Spa AW139, Houma, LA, October 22, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 22, 2012, 05:34 local time
- Place: Houma, LA
- Airport: Houma-Terrebonne
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: U0GA
- Location: 29.5600° N, 90.6661° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.5600&lon=-90.6661&mi=10
- Aircraft: N385RH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N385RH-2014-07-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Agusta AW139 (registry code 0260111, https://openairdocs.org/model/agusta-aw139) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C (registry code 52174, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pt6c-67c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AGUSTA SPA AW139
- Reported engine: P&W CANADA PT6C-67C
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 6,710 total, 24 in this make and model, 98 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN13FA025](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13FA025) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121022024439A

## Narrative

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

ON OCTOBER 22, 2012, AT 0100 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AGUSTA SPA AW139 HELICOPTER, N385RH, COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING REPOSITIONED ON THE HOUMA-TERREBONNE AIRPORT (KHUM), HOUMA, LOUISIANA. NEITHER OF THE TWO AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOTS ON BOARD WERE INJURED. THE HELICOPTER WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE HELICOPTER WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY ERA HELICOPTERS LLC AND WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED.THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING RELOCATED FROM ONE LANDING PAD TO ANOTHER, ABOUT 20 FEET AWAY, WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. WHEN THE WHEELS TOUCHED THE GROUND DURING THE LANDING, A VERTICAL VIBRATION WAS NOTED. THE PILOT INCREASED THE COLLECTIVE IN AN ATTEMPT TO LOAD THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM; HOWEVER, THE VIBRATION WORSENED AND THE HELICOPTER BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE HELICOPTER AWAY FROM THE PAD, AS THERE WAS ANOTHER HELICOPTER BEING FUELED NEXT TO IT. THE PILOT THEN MADE A LEFT PEDAL TURN AND WAS ABLE TO SET THE HELICOPTER DOWN ON THE GRASS. HE STATED THAT THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED THE GROUND VERY HARD WHILE MOVING LATERALLY TO THE LEFT.

## 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 CEN13FA025](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13FA025), Oct 22, 2012: Agusta AW139 (N385RH), Houma, LA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The helicopter’s sudden and severe vertical vibrations during landing, which resulted in a collision with terrain. The reason for the helicopter’s sudden and severe vertical vibrations could not be…

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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