Bell 407 N420PH

Summary

On 30 October 2015 at about 17:20 local time, a Bell 407 registered N420PH, operated by PHI Inc., was involved in an accident near Cameron, 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

30 October 2015 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Cameron, Louisiana, United States

Nearest airport

West Cameron 167 (167)

Coordinates

29.3906, -93.4461

Aircraft

Bell 407

Registration

N420PH

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

PHI Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cameron → Cameron

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA039

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to remove a main rotor blade tiedown, which resulted in substantial damage to a main rotor blade when the engine was started.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator reported that the pilot landed and shutdown the helicopter on an offshore platform. He secured the main rotor system by attaching a tiedown to the forward left main rotor blade and he then attached this tiedown to the left front skid cross tube. Several hours later, the pilot entered the right front seat to begin the engine start sequence. The operator reported that the pilot proceeded to start the engine and noted a few seconds after initiating the engine start that the helicopter made an "unusual noise" and began to shake. The pilot then shut down the helicopter without further incident. A postflight inspection revealed substantial damage to the blue main rotor blade.  The operator reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.