- Date
- February 4, 1982, 15:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2623Bell 206L-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 4, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820204021779A
- Case key
- 70921
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 helicopter was landed on an oil rig platform for refueling. The pilot stated that after refueling, he turned into the wind and took off. As the helicopter cleared the platform, it yawed left and pitched nose down. The pilot applied collective to cushion his landing and deployed the pop-out floats. After touchdown in five foot seas, the main rotor blade severed the tail boom and the helicopter rolled inverted. The pilot was unable to exit through the right front door. After some difficulty, he egressed through one of the rear doors. An inspection of the oil rig helideck revealed that the refueling hose was lying over the side of the deck and the hose nozzle was missing. Blue paint was found on the hose. The skids and bottom of the helicopter were painted with the same shade of blue paint. A teardown of the engine revealed no preimpact malfunction or failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2623
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45461
- Airframe hours
- 763
- Engine
- Allison 250-C28B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Mobil Oil
- Registered owner
- Mobil Oil
- Departed
- SS87 · Gulf Of Mexico, GM
- Destination
- SS87 · Gulf Of Mexico, GM
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SS87 · Ship Shoal 87
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 7,320 total · 410 in this make and model · 6,889 as pilot in command · 138 in the last 90 days · 47 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2623 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.