Bell 206L-3 accident near E.I. 276, LA
On August 13, 2003, a Bell 206L-3 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near E.I. 276, LA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 13, 2003
- Place
- E.I. 276, LA
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 31.169°N, 91.868°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030826X01403
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 13, 2003, at 1130 central daylight time, a Bell 206L-3 helicopter, N41128, operated by Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI), received substantial damage during takeoff from Eugene Island 276 helideck, located in the Gulf of Mexico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was activated for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 passenger transport flight. The commercial pilot and two passengers were fatally injured, one passenger was seriously injured, and one passenger received minor injuries. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was en route to Petroleum Helicopters-Intracoastal City Heliport (7LS4), Intracoastal City, Louisiana. A witness stated that he was about 80 feet away on the 3/4 platform when he first saw the accident helicopter approach. He stated the wind was blowing from the southeast at 10-15 knots with some storms throughout the day. He stated that he believed that the accident helicopter came in from the southeast. The helicopter landed off the helideck center next to the refueling station. The helicopter then moved rearwards to position the tail rotor off the platform to load passengers since there was only one access to the helideck. The helicopter was not shut down after it had been positioned. The helicopter remained on the helideck for about eight minutes during which time it was refueled by one of the passengers and three additional passengers boarded with their baggage. One of the three additional passengers had two bags and the remai
Probable cause
The inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions and the directional control not obtained/maintained by the pilot during takeoff. Contributing factors were the crosswind and the planned approach to position the helicopter with a crosswind in order to perform hot refueling adjacent to the helideck refueling station.
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Browse: Louisiana · Bell aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
