Bell 222UT N3194M
24 October 1985 · East Cameron · Fatal
Summary
On 24 October 1985 at about 15:00 local time, a Bell 222UT registered N3194M was involved in an accident near East Cameron. 9 people were on board and 2 died, 7 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 15:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- East Cameron
- Nearest airport
- Block 215 Helipad
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Bell 222UT
- Registration
- N3194M
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Intracoastl Cty → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW86MA018
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THREE PAX RPRTD THAT JUST PRIOR TO REACHING THE HELIPAD, THE HELICOPTER'S FORWARD MOVEMENT STOPPED AND THE HELICOPTER WOBBLED OR YAWED FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE PAX'S RPRTED THAT THE PILOT APPEARED TO BE TRYING TO GAIN ALTITUDE AND GO FORWARD WHEN THEY HEARD A LOUD NOISE. THE HELICOPTER THEN DROPPED IN A TAIL LOW ATTITUDE AND CRASHED INTO PRESSURIZED NATURAL GAS COMPONENTS. ESCAPING GAS IGNITED WHICH RESULTED IN AN INTENSE FIRE. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT TWO BLADES ON THE L ENG'S GAS PRODUCER TURBINE WHEEL HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE AND LODGED AGAINST THE PWR TURBINE NOZZLE VANES. AN INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT PWR TO SUSTAIN FLT WITH THIS FAILURE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THEENGINE HAD LOST POWER AT A CRITICAL POINT DURING THE APCH AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO MANUEVER THE HELICOPTER ONTO THE HELIPAD. HOWEVER, THE TOE OF THE RIGHT SKID CONTACTED THE TUBULAR FRAME OF A HOTHE RGT SKID CONTACTED THE TUBULAR FRAME OF A HORIZONTAL SAFETY FENCE (AROUND THE HELIPAD). SUBSEQUENTLY, THE FENCE WAS BENT INWARD AND DOWNWARD BY THE AIRCRAFT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 222 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct 1985 | Bell 222A | Charenton, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 May 1985 | Bell 222U | Milford, Virginia, United States | Aircraft Management Service | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jun 1984 | Bell 222 | Salem, Virginia, United States | Life Guard of America, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 25 Apr 1986 | Bell 222B | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Omniflight | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1984 | Bell 222 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 1984 | Bell 222UT | E Brake Blk 397 | - | No injuries | - |