- Date
- February 1, 1999, 10:56 local (16:56 UTC)
- Place
- West Delta 105b
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6603XBell 206L-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990201001249A
- Case key
- 45741
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
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the oil platform's windsock on final approach to landing.
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's tail rotor made contact with the offshore platform's windsock during final approach to landing. The pilot heard a buzzing sound followed by a right yaw. He then executed a hovering autorotation to the platform. Inspection of the windsock support frame showed signs of tail rotor impact damage.
Factual narrative
On February 1, 1999, at 1056 central standard time, a Bell 206L-3 helicopter, N6603X, was substantially damaged upon impact with a wind sock during final approach at the West Delta 105B offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant of the helicopter, was not injured. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Petroleum Helicopters, Inc., of Lafayette, Louisiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight which originated from the South Pass 25 offshore platform at 0915.
The pilot was positioning the helicopter to the West Delta 105B offshore platform when, according to the pilot's written statement, he heard a "buzzing sound followed by a right yaw." The pilot then executed a hovering autorotation to the platform. The pilot stated that he suspected that the tail rotor blades contacted the wind sock during the approach. The wind sock's internal frame showed evidence of a tail rotor blade strike.
Maintenance personnel reported that one of the tail rotor blades was missing approximately the outboard four inches. The tail rotor gear box was torn from its mounting and the tail boom had sustained structural damage.
According to company flight records, the pilot had accumulated 3,893 hours total flight time, of which 2,517 hours were in the Bell 206L-3.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6603X
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-3
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 51412
- Airframe hours
- 9,971
- Engine
- Allison 250-C30P, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 10, 1999 · 61 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · South Pass 25, GM
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- NONE · West Delta 105b Heliport
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,893 total · 2,517 in this make and model · 3,108 as pilot in command · 152 in the last 90 days · 49 in the last 30 days · 12 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.