Bell 407 accident near Intracoastal City, LA
On October 5, 2012, a Bell 407 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Intracoastal City, LA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 5, 2012
- Place
- Intracoastal City, LA
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.787°N, 92.158°W
- NTSB ID
- 20121005X04242
Official records · CEN13FA003
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 5, 2012, about 0758 central daylight time, a Bell 407 helicopter, N406AL, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from Central Industries Airport (2LA0), near Intracoastal City, Louisiana. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Bristow US LLC, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 while on a company flight plan. Day instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed for the postmaintenance flight that was originating at the time of the accident. According to the operator, the pilot was performing the postmaintenance flight to identify if there was any residual oil left behind during a routine phase check that had been completed the previous evening. At 0756, the pilot sent an electronic message to the company's flight-following center located in New Iberia, Louisiana, to activate his local flight plan and to report having 1 hour of fuel on-board. Several witnesses reported seeing the helicopter startup and enter a low altitude hover over the landing pad before it hover-taxied toward runway 24. One witness reported that she saw the helicopter depart on the runway heading and disappear into fog or a low cloud ceiling. Several witnesses reported hearing a sound consistent with a ground impact shortly after the helicopter had departed toward the southwest. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAccording to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot, age 62, held a commercial pilot certificate with helicopter an
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to attempt a local flight in marginal visual meteorological conditions and his subsequent loss of control following an inadvertent encounter with instrument metrological conditions shortly after takeoff.
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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.
