- Date
- January 7, 1986, 16:35 local (22:35 UTC)
- Place
- Port O'Connor, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N520EHBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860107000309A
- Case key
- 21885
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 sustained a loss of tailrotor drive on lift off. A bonding in a shaft coupling failed. Extensive research and analysis discovered no discrepancies in design, production, quality assurance, maintenance or operating environment that could have resulted in this failure. Only one previous occurrence was documented, in an assembly from another vendor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N520EH
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3020
- Airframe hours
- 4,594
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Era Helicopters Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 3, 1986 · 9 hours before
- Destination
- Offshore Rig, GM
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- 2TA5 · Era Heliport
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,136 total · 603 in this make and model · 1,751 as pilot in command · 204 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 20 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.