What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 12/15/2022 the baton rouge flight standards district office was made aware of an aircraft accident in the ship shoal aera of the Gulf Of Mexico, involving a Bell 206 L4 helicopter owned and operated by broussard, LA based 135 rotorcraft leasing co privacy data omitted. The initial information provided was three souls on board, all had been rescued, and plans were being made to recover the aircraft from the water.
12/16/2022-12/21/2022. privacy data omitted Began to share information (photos of helicopter, offshore platform, and pilot information) following the days after the accident. It was determined the accident involved a Bell 206 L-4privacy data omitted attempting to depart offshore platform ship shoal 150C. The company stated they had spoken to the pilot and had advised them that upon takeoff he encountered unexpected winds that caused the aircraft to drift aft and to the right, it was at this point he stated he felt the aircraft begin rolling uncontrollably to the right causing the aircraft to fall from the platform and crash inverted into the water below. He goes on to state that before contact he was able to deploy the emergency floats attached to the skids of the aircraft which allowed the aircraft to stay afloat and all occupants to egress after impact.
Weather information
Winds 360 15-20 knots gust to 30 VFR
privacy data omitted Along with bsee provided the FAA with photos showing the extent of the damage to the offshore platform. The photos showed the platforms helideck safety skirting had received substantial damage on side the aircraft fell from (south side) with three panels of safety skirting completely missing from the platform. The photos also showed helideck perimeter light damage along with contact skid marks on the surface of the helideck located on the same side the aircraft fell from.
12/21/2022. The baton rouge FSDO visited the operator privacy data omitted and privacy data omitted (location of recovered helicopter). A meeting was held with company director of operations, chief pilot, director of maintenace, director of safety, and instructor pilot who had completed qualification checks (.293 .299) for the PIC involved. The training records were provided and it was determined the airman had been working for privacy data omitted for a little over 6 months and had been qualified to fly the Bell 407 and Bell 206 aircraft. Further review of training records showed he had completed all required part 135 training and checks, notes in 407 training records indicated unsatifactory manuvers the pilot needed retraining on, pinnicale or platform and hover manuvers (hovering to low and with aft drift). An in-depth discussion was held with company officals. In their review of all evidence, they believe the pilot made his approach to the platform from the south with a heading of about 360 degrees to place the wind off the nose of the aircraft, once the approach had been completed the pilot terminated to a hover and turned the nose of the aircraft about 45 dgrees to the right in an attempt the put the stairs of the platform away from the tail rotor and sat the helicopter down with the rear skid about 3 feet from edge of the helideck. It was at this point one of the three passengers exited the helicopter. When the passenger was clear the pilot attempted to lift the helicopter back into a hover and prepare for departure. The company believes it was at this point the pilot failed to correct for the encountered strong gusty winds which caused the nose of the helicopter to lift from the platform first and begin to drift aft, because of the position of the helicopter (turned 45 degrees to the right) and the right rear portion of the skid being the closest to the edge the company believed this is where the right rear portion of the skid drug the helideck (causing the scrapes noted in the pictures) and contacted the helideck perimeter light, causing the helicopter to encounter dynamic roll-over which the pilot could not recover from. Inspection of right rear portion of skid did reveal impact.
As the FAA filed it
ON 12/15/2022 THE BATON ROUGE FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE WAS MADE AWARE OF AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT IN THE SHIP SHOAL AERA OF THE GULF OF MEXICO, INVOLVING A BELL 206 L4 HELICOPTER OWNED AND OPERATED BY BROUSSARD, LA BASED 135 ROTORCRAFT LEASING CO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE INITIAL INFORMATION PROVIDED WAS THREE SOULS ON BOARD, ALL HAD BEEN RESCUED, AND PLANS WERE BEING MADE TO RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE WATER.
12/16/2022-12/21/2022. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ BEGAN TO SHARE INFORMATION (PHOTOS OF HELICOPTER, OFFSHORE PLATFORM, AND PILOT INFORMATION) FOLLOWING THE DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. IT WAS DETERMINED THE ACCIDENT INVOLVED A BELL 206 L-4^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ATTEMPTING TO DEPART OFFSHORE PLATFORM SHIP SHOAL 150C. THE COMPANY STATED THEY HAD SPOKEN TO THE PILOT AND HAD ADVISED THEM THAT UPON TAKEOFF HE ENCOUNTERED UNEXPECTED WINDS THAT CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO DRIFT AFT AND TO THE RIGHT, IT WAS AT THIS POINT HE STATED HE FELT THE AIRCRAFT BEGIN ROLLING UNCONTROLLABLY TO THE RIGHT CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO FALL FROM THE PLATFORM AND CRASH INVERTED INTO THE WATER BELOW. HE GOES ON TO STATE THAT BEFORE CONTACT HE WAS ABLE TO DEPLOY THE EMERGENCY FLOATS ATTACHED TO THE SKIDS OF THE AIRCRAFT WHICH ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO STAY AFLOAT AND ALL OCCUPANTS TO EGRESS AFTER IMPACT.
WEATHER INFORMATION
WINDS 360 15-20 KNOTS GUST TO 30 VFR
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ALONG WITH BSEE PROVIDED THE FAA WITH PHOTOS SHOWING THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE TO THE OFFSHORE PLATFORM. THE PHOTOS SHOWED THE PLATFORMS HELIDECK SAFETY SKIRTING HAD RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE ON SIDE THE AIRCRAFT FELL FROM (SOUTH SIDE) WITH THREE PANELS OF SAFETY SKIRTING COMPLETELY MISSING FROM THE PLATFORM. THE PHOTOS ALSO SHOWED HELIDECK PERIMETER LIGHT DAMAGE ALONG WITH CONTACT SKID MARKS ON THE SURFACE OF THE HELIDECK LOCATED ON THE SAME SIDE THE AIRCRAFT FELL FROM.
12/21/2022. THE BATON ROUGE FSDO VISITED THE OPERATOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (LOCATION OF RECOVERED HELICOPTER). A MEETING WAS HELD WITH COMPANY DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, CHIEF PILOT, DIRECTOR OF MAINTENACE, DIRECTOR OF SAFETY, AND INSTRUCTOR PILOT WHO HAD COMPLETED QUALIFICATION CHECKS (.293 .299) FOR THE PIC INVOLVED. THE TRAINING RECORDS WERE PROVIDED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE AIRMAN HAD BEEN WORKING FOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FOR A LITTLE OVER 6 MONTHS AND HAD BEEN QUALIFIED TO FLY THE BELL 407 AND BELL 206 AIRCRAFT. FURTHER REVIEW OF TRAINING RECORDS SHOWED HE HAD COMPLETED ALL REQUIRED PART 135 TRAINING AND CHECKS, NOTES IN 407 TRAINING RECORDS INDICATED UNSATIFACTORY MANUVERS THE PILOT NEEDED RETRAINING ON, PINNICALE OR PLATFORM AND HOVER MANUVERS (HOVERING TO LOW AND WITH AFT DRIFT). AN IN-DEPTH DISCUSSION WAS HELD WITH COMPANY OFFICALS. IN THEIR REVIEW OF ALL EVIDENCE, THEY BELIEVE THE PILOT MADE HIS APPROACH TO THE PLATFORM FROM THE SOUTH WITH A HEADING OF ABOUT 360 DEGREES TO PLACE THE WIND OFF THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT, ONCE THE APPROACH HAD BEEN COMPLETED THE PILOT TERMINATED TO A HOVER AND TURNED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT ABOUT 45 DGREES TO THE RIGHT IN AN ATTEMPT THE PUT THE STAIRS OF THE PLATFORM AWAY FROM THE TAIL ROTOR AND SAT THE HELICOPTER DOWN WITH THE REAR SKID ABOUT 3 FEET FROM EDGE OF THE HELIDECK. IT WAS AT THIS POINT ONE OF THE THREE PASSENGERS EXITED THE HELICOPTER. WHEN THE PASSENGER WAS CLEAR THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO LIFT THE HELICOPTER BACK INTO A HOVER AND PREPARE FOR DEPARTURE. THE COMPANY BELIEVES IT WAS AT THIS POINT THE PILOT FAILED TO CORRECT FOR THE ENCOUNTERED STRONG GUSTY WINDS WHICH CAUSED THE NOSE OF THE HELICOPTER TO LIFT FROM THE PLATFORM FIRST AND BEGIN TO DRIFT AFT, BECAUSE OF THE POSITION OF THE HELICOPTER (TURNED 45 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT) AND THE RIGHT REAR PORTION OF THE SKID BEING THE CLOSEST TO THE EDGE THE COMPANY BELIEVED THIS IS WHERE THE RIGHT REAR PORTION OF THE SKID DRUG THE HELIDECK (CAUSING THE SCRAPES NOTED IN THE PICTURES) AND CONTACTED THE HELIDECK PERIMETER LIGHT, CAUSING THE HELICOPTER TO ENCOUNTER DYNAMIC ROLL-OVER WHICH THE PILOT COULD NOT RECOVER FROM. INSPECTION OF RIGHT REAR PORTION OF SKID DID REVEAL IMPACT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.