- Date
- July 19, 1982, 13:20 local (18:20 UTC)
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5771LAerospatiale AS-350D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 19, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820719055669A
- Case key
- 70922
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
During an over water flight, the engine chip detector light illuminated and shortly thereafter, the engine failed. The pilot made an autorotative landing in the Gulf Of Mexico with no further damage. All three rotor blades were full of holes and tears and one blade had a piece of the engine tail pipe stuck in it. The fuselage had schrapnel holes and the tail rotor drive shaft was disabled. An investigation revealed that the pto gear, pn 4-081-120-08, in the engine had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5771L
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS-350D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1343
- Airframe hours
- 1,844
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101, 675 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Petroleum Helicopter, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Petroleum Helicopter, Inc.
- Departed
- High Island Blk, GM
- Destination
- Cameron, LA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,954 total · 722 in this make and model · 1,626 as pilot in command · 133 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 185 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
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 N5771L · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.