- Date
- August 8, 1991, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rowan Midland
- Injuries
- 15 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N177EHBell 412
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910808036879I
- Case key
- 23280
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The mechanic's failure to assemble the tail rotor drive shaft correctly and the subsequent failure of the tail rotor drive shaft. A factor was the lack of inspection procedures for offshore maintenance.
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
During takeoff from a moving vessel, the pilot lost directional control. He elected to continue to fly in an effort to reach an offshore platform. As direction control became more unstable, the captain ordered the first officer to make a water landing. Floats were inflated and the landing was made without incident. All 15 on board were recovered without incident. Examination revealed that the tail rotor drive shaft had been assembled incorrectly and that the quill assembly had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N177EH
- Reported as
- Bell 412
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 33037
- Engine
- P&W PT6T-3B, 1,025 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Era Aviation Inc.
- Departed
- NONE · West. Carribean, GM
- Destination
- MSY · New Orleans, 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
- 45
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 13,900 total · 8,000 in this make and model · 12,500 as pilot in command · 118 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.