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20140611007949A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Bell 206-L4 · Houma, LA · June 11, 2014

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
June 11, 2014 · 14:30 local
Place
Houma, LA
Airport
Oil Platform St317-A
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
IAVA
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N207MY
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN14FA286
Reported as
Bell 206-L4
Reported engine
Allison 250-C30 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
9,998 total8,700 in this make and model194 in the last 90 days
N207MYRegistration cancelled Apr 18, 2018 · Bell 206-L4S/N 52258 · Built 2000Airframe modelBell 206-L4Engine modelAllison 250-C30 seriesTurbo-shaft

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.

Pilot and passenger were traveling from oil platform SS266B to platform ST317-A. While on a straight in approach to the platform, the aircraft began to spin to the right. An eyewitness said the aircraft spun clockwise 8-10 times with debris falling out as it spun and heard a "snap" sound as if something broke. The aircraft then "went silent and fell straight down" impacting the water and sinking. The aircraft was destroyed on impact and both personnel were fatally wounded from blunt trauma. The tail boom was recovered from the surface and the aircraft was recovered from the ocean floor. The initial accident investigation showed no malfunction with the tail rotor, the tail rotor gear box, the engine, engine accessory gear box, the main rotor, and the transmission. The same components also showed no signs of torsional stress. The tail boom did show signs of at least one main rotor strike and separation from the fuselage.

The aircraft suffered extensive damage from impact and was scattered along the ocean floor with only a partial recovery of the aircraft, limiting the investigation. A section of the tail boom and tail rotor driveshaft couplings were removed and sent off for analysis by the NTSB. The coroner report and toxicology report are pending. The investigation is ongoing.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE TRAVELING FROM OIL PLATFORM SS266B TO PLATFORM ST317-A. WHILE ON A STRAIGHT IN APPROACH TO THE PLATFORM, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SPIN TO THE RIGHT. AN EYEWITNESS SAID THE AIRCRAFT SPUN CLOCKWISE 8-10 TIMES WITH DEBRIS FALLING OUT AS IT SPUN AND HEARD A "SNAP" SOUND AS IF SOMETHING BROKE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN "WENT SILENT AND FELL STRAIGHT DOWN" IMPACTING THE WATER AND SINKING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED ON IMPACT AND BOTH PERSONNEL WERE FATALLY WOUNDED FROM BLUNT TRAUMA. THE TAIL BOOM WAS RECOVERED FROM THE SURFACE AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR. THE INITIAL ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION SHOWED NO MALFUNCTION WITH THE TAIL ROTOR, THE TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX, THE ENGINE, ENGINE ACCESSORY GEAR BOX, THE MAIN ROTOR, AND THE TRANSMISSION. THE SAME COMPONENTS ALSO SHOWED NO SIGNS OF TORSIONAL STRESS. THE TAIL BOOM DID SHOW SIGNS OF AT LEAST ONE MAIN ROTOR STRIKE AND SEPARATION FROM THE FUSELAGE.

THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM IMPACT AND WAS SCATTERED ALONG THE OCEAN FLOOR WITH ONLY A PARTIAL RECOVERY OF THE AIRCRAFT, LIMITING THE INVESTIGATION. A SECTION OF THE TAIL BOOM AND TAIL ROTOR DRIVESHAFT COUPLINGS WERE REMOVED AND SENT OFF FOR ANALYSIS BY THE NTSB. THE CORONER REPORT AND TOXICOLOGY REPORT ARE PENDING. THE INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN14FA286Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportSouth Timbalier PlatformThe pilot's loss of helicopter control for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.Jun 11, 2014 · Destroyed

Other reports on N207MY · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 20121119025159ITaxi · Pflugerville, TXThe pilot of N207MY, while executing a high hover taxi, backed into a parked a-star helicopter (N79FX) causing minor damage. The pilot stated that he knew that there was an aircraft parked behind him, but was distracted by another helicopter parked to his…Nov 19, 2012 · Minor damage