- Date
- January 5, 2014, 10:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- West Delta 109
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N430CTBell 430
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 24, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Jacksonville FSDO
- FAA report
- 20140105002489A
- Case key
- 88636
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain tail rotor clearance from a handrail on a crane davit on an oil platform during landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that she was making a normal approach to the oil platform. Both cranes were shut down on the oil platform, and she received a green deck for landing. The helicopter was over the landing circle when she turned the helicopter's tail and felt a severe shudder. She immediately landed and shut down the helicopter. The examination of the helicopter and landing platform revealed that the tail rotor blades had struck a handrail on the east crane davit, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail rotor gearbox and drivetrain.
Factual narrative
On January 5, 2014, about 1000 central standard time, a Bell B430 helicopter, N430CT, sustained substantial damage during landing when the tail rotor struck a handrail on the crane davit on the West Delta 109 oil platform located in the Gulf of Mexico. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The helicopter was owned and operated by Chevron USA Inc., under the provisions of the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The helicopter departed the Chevron Main Pass 313 oil platform about 0930, and was on a company visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan. The pilot reported that both cranes were shut down on the oil platform and she received a "green" deck for landing. The pilot made a normal approach to the platform. The helicopter was over the landing circle when she turned the helicopter's tail and felt a severe shudder. She immediately landed and shut down the helicopter. The examination of the landing platform and helicopter revealed that the tail rotor blades had struck a handrail on the crane davit, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail rotor gearbox and drivetrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N430CT
- Reported as
- Bell 430
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 49089
- Built
- 2002
- Airframe hours
- 11,122
- Engines
- Rolls-Royce 250-C40B, 715 lbs thrust, turbo shaftRolls-Royce 250-C40B, 715 lbs thrust, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Chevron U S A Inc
- Registered owner
- Chevron U S A Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 23, 2013
- Departed
- Mp313, GM
- Destination
- West Delta 109, GM
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- None · West Delta 109
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2013
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 10,047 total · 1,300 in this make and model · 8,310 as pilot in command · 103 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- BVE, 30 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 18, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.