- Date
- July 29, 1985, 17:01 local (22:01 UTC)
- Place
- Houma, LA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3607CS.N.I.A.S. AS350D Astar
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850729040379A
- Case key
- 21564
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 plt landed at a microwave antenna tower and did not shut down the eng or deplane. An employee at the tower retrievedcargo from the helicopter (a small box of parts) and went back inside the tower building. Shortly thereafter, the plt apparently initiated his takeoff in a direction which would take the helicpoter underneath on of the tower guy wires. The main rotor blades contacted and separated one of the guy wires. The helicopter then descended to ground impact. The helicopter's skids were about 30 ft AGL when the main rotor contacted the wire. Investigation revealed that had the plt completed the accident flt he would have arrived home later than he intended.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3607C
- Reported as
- S.N.I.A.S. AS350D Astar (AS350D AST)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1244
- Airframe hours
- 4,252
- Engine
- Lycoming LTS-101-600A2, 531 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Petroleum Helicopters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 25, 1985 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- Houma, LA
- Destination
- LFT · Lafayette, LA
- Flight plan
- Company 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,940 total · 1,407 in this make and model · 4,592 as pilot in command · 192 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HUM, 4 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.