What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft was inbound to the Houma airport from an offshore oil platform with 4 passangers and 2 pilots.
Pilots began their initial decent from 4500 feet to 500 feet.
Passangers and crew noticed a plastic burning smell when they started their decent.
No visable smoke was noticed at the time.
Pilots turned off the ac system.
Approximately 60 to 90 seconds after the burning plastic smell, the crew and passangers heard a loud whoof followed by the cockpit filling with smoke from the overhead circuit breaker panel.
Within 3 to 5 seconds the cockpit was filled with brown/orange smoke with zero visability for the crew.
At the same time the rotor low verbal warning was heard in the headsets of the pilots along with rapid overspeed of both engines combined with a suddden and immediate upward movement of the collective as well as an aft left movement of the cyclic resulting in the rotor speed of approxmeimately 83% and a climb rate in excess of 800 feet per minute.
The left seat pilot pulled the window off the door to vent the smoke.
Collective pitch was pushed to the full down position.
The cyclic was forcefully pushed to the forward and right position.
Engines were cycled from fly mode to idle to control decent.
Pilots made a run on hard landing at the Houma airport.
One minor injury was reported by a passenger.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT WAS INBOUND TO THE HOUMA AIRPORT FROM AN OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM WITH 4 PASSANGERS AND 2 PILOTS.
PILOTS BEGAN THEIR INITIAL DECENT FROM 4500 FEET TO 500 FEET.
PASSANGERS AND CREW NOTICED A PLASTIC BURNING SMELL WHEN THEY STARTED THEIR DECENT.
NO VISABLE SMOKE WAS NOTICED AT THE TIME.
PILOTS TURNED OFF THE AC SYSTEM.
APPROXIMATELY 60 TO 90 SECONDS AFTER THE BURNING PLASTIC SMELL, THE CREW AND PASSANGERS HEARD A LOUD WHOOF FOLLOWED BY THE COCKPIT FILLING WITH SMOKE FROM THE OVERHEAD CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL.
WITHIN 3 TO 5 SECONDS THE COCKPIT WAS FILLED WITH BROWN/ORANGE SMOKE WITH ZERO VISABILITY FOR THE CREW.
AT THE SAME TIME THE ROTOR LOW VERBAL WARNING WAS HEARD IN THE HEADSETS OF THE PILOTS ALONG WITH RAPID OVERSPEED OF BOTH ENGINES COMBINED WITH A SUDDDEN AND IMMEDIATE UPWARD MOVEMENT OF THE COLLECTIVE AS WELL AS AN AFT LEFT MOVEMENT OF THE CYCLIC RESULTING IN THE ROTOR SPEED OF APPROXMEIMATELY 83% AND A CLIMB RATE IN EXCESS OF 800 FEET PER MINUTE.
THE LEFT SEAT PILOT PULLED THE WINDOW OFF THE DOOR TO VENT THE SMOKE.
COLLECTIVE PITCH WAS PUSHED TO THE FULL DOWN POSITION.
THE CYCLIC WAS FORCEFULLY PUSHED TO THE FORWARD AND RIGHT POSITION.
ENGINES WERE CYCLED FROM FLY MODE TO IDLE TO CONTROL DECENT.
PILOTS MADE A RUN ON HARD LANDING AT THE HOUMA AIRPORT.
ONE MINOR INJURY WAS REPORTED BY A PASSENGER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.