- Date
- August 26, 1991, 07:15 local (12:15 UTC)
- Place
- Garden Banks
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 4 serious, 1 minor, 7 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3909FBell 412
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910826036769A
- Case key
- 23277
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Overheating and subsequent failure of the number one tail rotor hanger bearing for an undeterined reason, and failure of the tail rotor drive shaft.
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 was on final apch to an oil rig in the gulf of Mexico, when tail rotor authority & drctnl ctl were lost. As the crew began an autorotation to the water, the helicopter spun out of ctl to the rgt. It made 2 to 3 revolutions & impacted the water. The rgt floatation gear deployed, but the left floatation gear didn't deploy, because the pneumatic lines were pulled apart drg impact. Subsequenlty, the helicopter rolled over drg touchdown in the water. The crew & 10 of 11 psgrs escaped thru the emerg windows. The otr psgr remained in his seat (incapacitated fm injuries) & drowned. An investigation revealed the #1 hanger bearing had overheated & disintegrated at an extremely high temperature. Subsequently, the tail rotor drive shaft failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3909F
- Reported as
- Bell 412
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 33015
- Airframe hours
- 10,337
- Engine
- P&W PT6T-3B, 1,600 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Petroleum Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Robert D. Armstong
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 13, 1991 · 192 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Ship Shole 248, GM
- 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
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,400 total · 2,145 in this make and model · 8,633 as pilot in command · 89 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- 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.