- Date
- December 7, 1987, 13:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Galveston, TX
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3910UBell 412
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871207083299A
- Case key
- 22530
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 acft landed hard in the gulf of Mexico during an autorotation that was entered following the separation of the 90 degree gearbox. The gearbox (with tail rotor blades) separated due to an imbalance. However, the gearbox was not recovered during the investigation and the cause of the imbalance could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3910U
- Reported as
- Bell 412
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 33018
- Airframe hours
- 3,787
- Engine
- P&W PT-6T-3B, 1,350 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Air Logistics
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · October 16, 1987 · 64 hours before
- Departed
- GLS
- Destination
- GLS
- Airport
- GLS · Scholes Fld, runway 31, 6,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,806 total · 88 in this make and model · 76 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 17 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GLS, 2 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.