# NTSB CEN09LA252: Bell 222B, N309CH, Gulf of Mexico, TX, April 8, 2009

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report
- Date: April 8, 2009, 17:06 local (22:06 UTC)
- Place: Gulf of Mexico, TX
- Coordinates: 31.054735, -97.562889 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.0547&lon=-97.5629&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Landing: Collision during takeoff/land](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/490)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 5 uninjured
- Status: Completed, report August 12, 2010
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office: Central Region
- Parties: Bell Helicopter, FAA Houston FSDO
- NTSB case key (mKey): 73671
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN09LA252
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/73671/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=73671
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09LA252

## Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from obstructions while landing on a shipboard helipad.

## Findings

NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause.

- [Action: incomplete action](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041040): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 105 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041040/cases.md)
- [Performance/control parameters](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [All aircraft, 1,269 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062000/cases.md)
- [Object/animal/substance: airport structure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022042): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Awareness of condition; cases with it: [All aircraft, 50 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022042/cases.md)
- [Personality/attitude: complacency](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021020): Personnel issues › Psychological · Pilot; cases with it: [All aircraft, 23 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021020/cases.md)

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Landing: Collision during takeoff/land](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/490) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 1,309 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/490/sequence.md)

## Analysis

While landing on the “winch only” deck of a ship at anchor in the Gulf of Mexico, the helicopter’s tail rotor struck a valve assembly protruding from the ship’s deck. The helicopter yawed approximately 60 degrees nose-right, then struck the ship’s side rail with the helicopter’s tail and came to rest upright on the deck. There was substantial damage to the helicopter’s fuselage, tail boom, horizontal stabilizer, tail rotor blades, tail rotor hub, and tail rotor gearbox. The pilot and four passengers were not injured and exited the helicopter normally through the doors on the right side of the helicopter. There were no injuries to any of the persons on board the ship.

## Factual narrative

On April 8, 2009 at 1706 central daylight time (CDT), a Bell 222B helicopter, N309CH, was substantially damaged when it struck an obstruction while landing on the deck of a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, Texas. The pilot and the four passengers were not injured, and there were no injuries to persons on-board the ship. The helicopter was owned and operated by Central Helicopter Service, Inc., of Houston, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident and a company flight plan had been filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on-demand passenger flight. The helicopter had departed the William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU) Houston, Texas, on a visual flight rules (VFR) flight to the ship, which was anchored in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 71 nautical miles southeast of Galveston, Texas. The pilot was being directed by ship’s personnel during the landing on the “winch only” area when the helicopter’s tail rotor struck a valve assembly protruding from the ship’s deck. The helicopter yawed approximately 60 degrees nose to the right, then struck the ship’s side rail with the helicopter’s tail, and came to rest upright on the deck. There was substantial damage to the helicopter’s fuselage, tail boom, horizontal stabilizer, tail rotor blades, tail rotor hub, and tail rotor gearbox. There was minor damage to the ship’s side rail and the valve on the deck. The pilot and four passengers exited the helicopter normally through the doors on the right side of the helicopter after shut-down procedures were complete. The ship was the 870 foot long Motor Tanker Wilana, based in Oslo, Norway. It was at anchor on a heading of 320 degrees. The pilot said he made the landing approach to the port (left) side of the ship on an approach course of 340 degrees. The pilot estimated the surface winds were variable from 250 degrees to 305 degrees at 15 knots. In the pilot’s statement he recommended that “pilots need to use extreme caution when conducting confined-area shipboard landings. Be especially vigilant for obstacles that are painted the same color as the deck…”

## Aircraft

- Registration: N309CH (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 222B
- Category: Helicopter
- Serial number: 47141
- Airframe hours: 8905
- Engines: Lycoming LTS 101-750 750 horsepower turbo shaft; Lycoming LTS 101-750 750 horsepower turbo shaft
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Part 135
- Operator: Central Helicopter Service Inc
- Registered owner: Central Helicopter Service Inc
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Last inspection: AAIP, September 4, 2008
- Departed: HOU, Houston, TX
- Destination: Gulf of Mexico, TX
- Flight plan: Company VFR
- Airport: GLS, Scholes International Airport

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 61; injuries: none; airline transport, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane, helicopter; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review March 5, 2009; seat: right; flight hours: 12,130 total, 322 in this make and model, 9,000 as pilot in command, 87 in the last 90 days, 54 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 180° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 73 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observed at: GLS, 71 nm away

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20090408005289A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090408005289A), Apr 8, 2009: Bell 222B, Gulf Of Mexico, US, Substantial damage. (-23) On 04/08/2009 at approximately 17:00 CDT N309CH, model BHT-222-B, was substantially damaged during landing on a tanker located in the Gulf Of Mexico,…

## Docket (15 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 26, 2010, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=73671. 12.0 MB in all.

- Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 4.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329793&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF
- Daily Flight Log and Pilot Duty Time (item 2, .PDF, 498 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329800&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Daily%20Flight%20Log%20and%20Pilot%20Duty%20Time-Redacted.PDF
- Dispatchers - Blue Sky Tracking Logs (item 3, .PDF, 94 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329801&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Dispatchers%20-%20Blue%20Sky%20Tracking%20Logs-Redacted.PDF
- Aircraft Maintenance Records - Selected Pages (item 4, .PDF, 841 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329804&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Aircraft%20Maintenance%20Records%20-%20Selected%20Pages-Redacted.PDF
- Map 1 - Location of Motor Tanker Wilana (item 5, .PDF, 975 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329790&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Map%201%20-%20Location%20of%20Motor%20Tanker%20Wilana-Master.PDF
- Map 2 - Approach Path to Landing Area (item 6, .PDF, 59 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329798&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Map%202%20-%20Approach%20Path%20to%20Landing%20Area-Master.PDF
- Weather Reports and Records (item 7, .PDF, 508 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329842&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master.PDF
- Photo 1 - MT Wilana - view from 11 oclock (item 8, .PDF, 73 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329778&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20-%20MT%20Wilana%20-%20view%20from%2011%20oclock-Master.PDF
- Photo 2 - Overhead View - Winch Only Area (item 9, .PDF, 3.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329786&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%20-%20Overhead%20View%20-%20Winch%20Only%20Area-Master.PDF
- Photo 3 - Helicopter in Winch Only Area (item 10, .PDF, 167 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329780&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203%20-%20Helicopter%20in%20Winch%20Only%20Area-Master.PDF
- Photo 4 - Valve Struck by Tail Rotor (item 11, .PDF, 230 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329781&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204%20-%20Valve%20Struck%20by%20Tail%20Rotor-Master.PDF
- Photo 5 - Damage to Tail Rotor Blade (item 12, .PDF, 165 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329782&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%205%20-%20Damage%20to%20Tail%20Rotor%20Blade-Master.PDF
- Photo 6 - Damage to Tail Rotor Gearbox (item 13, .PDF, 175 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329783&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%206%20-%20Damage%20to%20Tail%20Rotor%20Gearbox-Master.PDF
- Photo 7 - Damage to Left Fuselage (item 14, .PDF, 131 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329784&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%207%20-%20Damage%20to%20Left%20Fuselage-Master.PDF
- Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (item 15, .PDF, 222 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40329791&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Redacted.PDF

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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