- Date
- March 26, 1986, 12:25 local (18:25 UTC)
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3181YBell 206BIII
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860326011129A
- Case key
- 22002
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 pilot failed to assure the cabin door was properly closed before flight, or the cabin door just popped open during flight, allowing an unsecured life vest to blow out the door and into the tail rotor blades. This resulted in the entire tail rotor assembly departing the helicopter. A successful emergency autorotation into the water was conducted without further incident. Post accident examination revealed normal operation of the cabin door.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3181Y
- Reported as
- Bell 206BIII
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3772
- Airframe hours
- 2,931
- Engine
- Allison 250C20B, 317 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Petrolium Helicopters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 21, 1986 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- St-172, GM
- Destination
- St-26, GM
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,152 total · 3,182 in this make and model · 4,822 as pilot in command · 165 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.