- Date
- July 21, 1985, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- South Marsh
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5753DBell 206L-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850721033189A
- Case key
- 21807
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 was initiating a takeoff from a hover off an offshore oil rig. As he lowered the nose for takeoff, he heard a loud noise emit from the tailboom area & the acft began rotating to the right. The plt continued to apply pwr and autorotated to the water. On impact, the main rotor struck the tailboom and severed it. The aft section of the tailboom and the tail rotor gearbox were not recovered. Indications are that the acft experienced a malfunction in the tail rotor drive system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5753D
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 45529
- Airframe hours
- 6,941
- Engine
- Allison 250-C28, 435 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Petroleum Helicopters,Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · July 7, 1985 · 75 hours before
- 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,107 total · 1,707 in this make and model · 3,354 as pilot in command · 228 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- 1700, 10 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.