20171022020199I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 407 · Fourchon, LA · October 22, 2017

Date: October 22, 2017 · 15:02 local
Place: Fourchon, LA
Airport: Ss207d
Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: HEEA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N422PH
Reported as: Bell 407
Reported engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C47B
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,764 total237 in the last 90 days

N422PHRegistered now · Bell 407S/N 53675 · Built 2005 Airframe modelBell 407 Engine modelRolls-Royce 250-C47BTurbo-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.

Aircraft departed SS207A to return to SS207D, a satellite platform, to pick up four remaining construction crew members. Pilot initiated an approach to overfly the middle of the crane boom cables, but felt a twang and/or bump as the aircraft approached landing.

There were no abnormal indications on the aircraft instruments but sensing a subtle vibration and suspected aircraft contact pilot signaled the first member of the construction team to stay back until the aircraft was shutdown. He let pilot know by hand signal that the aircraft had contacted something.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED SS207A TO RETURN TO SS207D, A SATELLITE PLATFORM, TO PICK UP FOUR REMAINING CONSTRUCTION CREW MEMBERS. PILOT INITIATED AN APPROACH TO OVERFLY THE MIDDLE OF THE CRANE BOOM CABLES, BUT FELT A TWANG AND/OR BUMP AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED LANDING.

THERE WERE NO ABNORMAL INDICATIONS ON THE AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTS BUT SENSING A SUBTLE VIBRATION AND SUSPECTED AIRCRAFT CONTACT PILOT SIGNALED THE FIRST MEMBER OF THE CONSTRUCTION TEAM TO STAY BACK UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT WAS SHUTDOWN. HE LET PILOT KNOW BY HAND SIGNAL THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD CONTACTED SOMETHING.