Bell 407 accident near Houma, LA
On January 14, 2022, a Bell 407 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Houma, LA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 14, 2022
- Place
- Houma, LA
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 29.491°N, 90.429°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220114104527
Official records · CEN22FA100
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 14, 2022, about 1001 central standard time, a Bell 407, N167RL, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Houma, Louisiana. The commercial pilot and a passenger sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on-demand passenger flight. The helicopter was equipped with an Appareo Vision 1000, which captured cockpit imagery of the accident flight. The recorded video indicated that the flight was proceeding normally until about 10:00:50, when the pilot’s head began to fall back in a motion not consistent with scanning for traffic or with directed attention. The helicopter was traveling at a speed of about 123 knots and an altitude about 1,220 ft mean sea level. The pilot’s movements after this time appeared to be undirected and solely in response to the g-forces resulting from aircraft motion. The pilot’s head began to move toward the right and upward until the end of the recording. The pilot’s motion remained consistent with an undirected response to aircraft motion. The view outside the windscreen was consistent with a nose-down, inverted attitude just before the end of the recording. A witness near the accident site stated that he saw the helicopter descend into terrain in a nose-down attitude and did not see any parts separate from the helicopter while it was airborne. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONA postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed there was no mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATI
Probable cause
The pilot’s sudden loss of consciousness for undetermined reasons during cruise flight, which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.
More accidents in LA
- Sikorsky S-76C, Jan 4, 2009
- Cessna 411A, May 8, 1986
- Piper PA 31T, Dec 28, 2019
- Beech E90, Jun 24, 2005
- Bell 206L-3, May 10, 1994
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.
