20171105018259I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Bell 407 · Gulf Of Mexico, LA · November 5, 2017

Date: November 5, 2017 · 11:35 local
Place: Gulf Of Mexico, LA
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: YTRA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N522RL
Reported as: Bell 407
Reported engine: Allison 250-C47
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,058 total325 in this make and model195 in the last 90 days

N522RLRegistered now · Bell 407S/N 53231 · Built 1997 Airframe modelBell 407 Engine modelAllison 250-C47 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.

Airman was enroute from galliano, LA airport (gao) to an oil rig (MP281) in the Gulf Of Mexico (appx 20 miles east of gao) when he encountered a flock of birds on the right of his aircraft. He veered left to miss them and then turned back to the right. He witnessed a bird begin to dive and he banked the aircraft to the right in an attempt to miss it. The bird struck the passenger side windscreen and shattered. The pilot then returned to galliano airport.

As the FAA filed it

AIRMAN WAS ENROUTE FROM GALLIANO, LA AIRPORT (GAO) TO AN OIL RIG (MP281) IN THE GULF OF MEXICO (APPX 20 MILES EAST OF GAO) WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED A FLOCK OF BIRDS ON THE RIGHT OF HIS AIRCRAFT. HE VEERED LEFT TO MISS THEM AND THEN TURNED BACK TO THE RIGHT. HE WITNESSED A BIRD BEGIN TO DIVE AND HE BANKED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RIGHT IN AN ATTEMPT TO MISS IT. THE BIRD STRUCK THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDSCREEN AND SHATTERED. THE PILOT THEN RETURNED TO GALLIANO AIRPORT.