Bell 407 N407AK

Summary

On 15 December 2007 at about 20:58 local time, a Bell 407 registered N407AK was involved in an incident near Hig Island A595, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 December 2007 at 20:58

Classification

Incident

Location

Hig Island A595, United States

Coordinates

27.9306, -93.7639

Aircraft

Bell 407

Registration

N407AK

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hi A573A → Hi A376

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW08IA045

Nobody was injured.

The loss of tail rotor effectiveness for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight, the commercial pilot experienced a violent vibration in the airframe followed by a loud "pop" and the helicopter began to yaw to the right. The pilot attempted to correct the adverse yaw but could not regain tail rotor control. The pilot deployed the floatation system and performed an autorotation onto the water. Both pilot and passenger were able to egress the helicopter without incident and entered a life raft. While awaiting rescue the pilot visually inspected the helicopter and could observe no damage or malfunction. A US Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued the pilot and passenger from the water. Prior to recovery, the helicopter capsized due to the rough seas, sank and was not recovered.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.