- Date
- October 11, 2007, 06:20 local (11:20 UTC)
- Place
- Bay St Louis, MS
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N997PTEurocopter EC 130
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Jackson, MS
- FAA report
- 20071011825329A
- Case key
- 66892
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 encounter with dynamic rollover as result of his inadequate preflight inspection.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The commercial pilot was distracted by a short conversation with another pilot during an early morning preflight inspection of the helicopter. Following the preflight inspection of the turbine powered helicopter, the commercial pilot attempted to takeoff with the right side tie-down strap still securing the helicopter to the ground. Approximately 2-to-3- feet above ground level (agl), the pilot felt a tug as the slack was removed from the strap and the helicopter entered a dynamic rollover. The main rotor blades impacted the ground and the helicopter began to spin to the left. The pilot lowered the collective and the helicopter landed hard before coming to rest in an upright position. The pilot was able to exit unassisted. An examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail boom sustained structural damage during the accident.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot was distracted by a short conversation with another pilot during an early morning preflight inspection of the helicopter. Following the preflight inspection of the turbine powered helicopter, the commercial pilot attempted to takeoff with the right side tie-down strap still securing the helicopter to the ground. Approximately 2-to-3- feet above ground level (agl), the pilot felt a tug as the slack was removed from the strap and the helicopter entered a dynamic rollover. The main rotor blades impacted the ground and the helicopter began to spin to the left. The pilot lowered the collective and the helicopter landed hard before coming to rest in an upright position. The pilot was able to exit unassisted. An examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail boom sustained structural damage during the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N997PT
- Reported as
- Eurocopter EC 130
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3809
- Airframe hours
- 2,360
- Engine
- Turbomeca Arriel 2B1, 847 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Taylor Energy Company LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 1, 2007
- Departed
- HSA · Bay St Louis, MS
- Destination
- PTN · Patterson, LA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- HSA · Stennis Intl
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 16,000 total · 500 in this make and model · 16,000 as pilot in command · 375 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 54 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.