Bell 407 accident near High Island 573, USA
On December 1, 2003, a Bell 407 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near High Island 573, USA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 1, 2003
- Place
- High Island 573, USA
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 28.000°N, 93.919°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040202X00141
Official records · FTW04FA029
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 1, 2003, at 0821 central standard time, a Bell 407 single-engine helicopter, N457PH, registered to and operated by Petroleum Helicopters Inc. (PHI), of Lafayette, Louisiana, was destroyed when it impacted water following a loss of power while operating over open ocean water in the Gulf of Mexico in the vicinity of offshore platform High Island 560 (HI 560). The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on-demand air taxi cargo flight. The flight departed from offshore platform, High Island 573, at 0814, and was en route to offshore platform High Island 264 when the accident occurred. The call sign for the flight was "El Paso 63." The following is a chronology of the helicopter's flight activity on the morning of the accident: 0700 - Departed offshore platform, High Island 264A, with no passengers. 0702 - Landed on High Island 264C and picked up 5 passengers. 0705 - Departed High Island 264C 0723 - Landed on High Island 573 and dropped off 2 passengers. 0725 - Departed High Island 573 with 3 passengers. 0737 - Landed on High Island 582 and dropped off 3 passengers. 0739 - Departed High Island 582 with no passengers. 0754 - Landed on High Island 573 and shut down. The shut down was due to a wait for cargo. 0814 - Departed High Island 573 with cargo (5, ten-pound safety valves which were placed in the baggage department). 0821 - A "Mayday" call received was on company operating frequency 122.
Probable cause
The loss of engine power due to the failure of the 3rd stage turbine wheel and subsequent catastrophic failure of the turbine assembly.
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Browse: United States · 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.
