- Date
- January 22, 1985, 14:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Lafayette, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2762XBell 206L-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850122001309A
- Case key
- 21524
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 acft departed at 2040 CST as a flt of 2 on a ferry flt. Shortly after level-off at 700 ft and power stabilized at 72% torque the engine failed and the acft yawed left and right. An autoration was initiated into a soft plowed field with a slight down-slope. Upon touchdown, according to the plt, the nose rocked forward and the main rotor blade struck and severed the tailboom at the horizontal stabilizer. Engine disassembly revealed failure of the number 2 bearing for unknown specific cause. Bearing failure allowed the compressor impeller to move forward and make contact with the compressor shroud housing inner diameter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2762X
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45345
- Airframe hours
- 2,241
- Engine
- Allison 250-C288, 435 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- H. C. I. Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 1, 1984 · 77 hours before
- Departed
- LFT · Lafayette, LA
- Destination
- BTR · Baton Rouge, LA
- Airport
- LFT · Lafayette Regional
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,478 total · 75 in this make and model · 2,448 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LFT, 3 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.