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20180608007309I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Bell 206-L4 · Houma, LA · June 8, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 8, 2018 · 17:10 local
Place
Houma, LA
Airport
Houma-Terrebonne
Phase of flight
Unknown
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
IAVA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N177AL
Reported as
Bell 206-L4
Reported engine
Allison 250-C30 series
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
4,652 total2,655 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days

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.

The aircraft in question landed at 17:10 at Houma-Terrebonne Airport. After landing and the passengers departed the aircraft, the pilot asked the mechanic to look at a broken headset. The pilot and mechanic walked away from the aircraft discussing the headset and did not complete any inspections. The mechanic returned to the aircraft at approximately 20:00 - 20:30 to complete a daily inspection. The mechanic found the left cabin door sliding window missing while conducting the daily. Subsequent inspection of the window revealed the upper channel the sliding window travels through was cracked at the top.

Further inspection of the aircraft, revieled tail rotor damage (puncture) on one blade and several dents on both blades. Upon completion of the daily inspection, no other damage was found. The director of maintenance and the pilot were contacted to notify them of the incident. The director of safety and director of maintenance traveled to Houma-Terrebonne Airport to complete an investigation.

We contacted the certificate management team for westwind helicopters (houston FSDO) to notify them of the incident. We have been communicating investigation findings to the cmt as applicable.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT IN QUESTION LANDED AT 17:10 AT HOUMA-TERREBONNE AIRPORT. AFTER LANDING AND THE PASSENGERS DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT, THE PILOT ASKED THE MECHANIC TO LOOK AT A BROKEN HEADSET. THE PILOT AND MECHANIC WALKED AWAY FROM THE AIRCRAFT DISCUSSING THE HEADSET AND DID NOT COMPLETE ANY INSPECTIONS. THE MECHANIC RETURNED TO THE AIRCRAFT AT APPROXIMATELY 20:00 - 20:30 TO COMPLETE A DAILY INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC FOUND THE LEFT CABIN DOOR SLIDING WINDOW MISSING WHILE CONDUCTING THE DAILY. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE WINDOW REVEALED THE UPPER CHANNEL THE SLIDING WINDOW TRAVELS THROUGH WAS CRACKED AT THE TOP.

FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT, REVIELED TAIL ROTOR DAMAGE (PUNCTURE) ON ONE BLADE AND SEVERAL DENTS ON BOTH BLADES. UPON COMPLETION OF THE DAILY INSPECTION, NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS FOUND. THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE AND THE PILOT WERE CONTACTED TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE INCIDENT. THE DIRECTOR OF SAFETY AND DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE TRAVELED TO HOUMA-TERREBONNE AIRPORT TO COMPLETE AN INVESTIGATION.

WE CONTACTED THE CERTIFICATE MANAGEMENT TEAM FOR WESTWIND HELICOPTERS (HOUSTON FSDO) TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE INCIDENT. WE HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATING INVESTIGATION FINDINGS TO THE CMT AS APPLICABLE.