- Date
- June 13, 1986, 15:55 local (20:55 UTC)
- Place
- Houma, LA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2784EMBB 105
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860613024479A
- Case key
- 21912
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
A fatigue failure in a main rotor blade pitch change link resulted in the loss of control of one blade, leading to an in flight separation of the tail boom. The helicopter was uncontrollable and pitched forward, impacting the ground inverted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2784E
- Reported as
- MBB 105
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 620
- Airframe hours
- 1,040
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Evergreen Equity Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 23, 1985 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- West Delta 18, GM
- Destination
- ABB · Abbeville, 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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 157 in this make and model · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft broken
- Observed at
- HUM, 5 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.