Bell 407 N517R

Summary

On 10 November 2001 at about 21:15 local time, a Bell 407 registered N517R was involved in an accident near Erath, Louisiana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 November 2001 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Erath, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

29.9495, -92.0294

Aircraft

Bell 407

Registration

N517R

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

South Marsh 253 → Scott

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW02LA033

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadvertant application of full right pedal which resulted in the baggage compartment door to open in-flight and a tie down rope to become entangled in the tail rotor drive system, and the failure of the tail rotor drive shaft resulting in the loss of anti-torque control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot inadvertently applied full right pedal while the helicopter was in cruise flight, resulting in a left yaw, the baggage compartment door became open, and the main rotor tie down rope exited the helicopter. The departing rope became entangled in the tail rotor system. Subsequently, the pilot lost anti-torque authority and performed an autorotative landing to an open field.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.