Bell 412 N177EH
8 August 1991 · Rowan Midland · No injuries
Summary
On 8 August 1991 at about 15:00 local time, a Bell 412 registered N177EH, operated by ERA Aviation Inc., was involved in an incident near Rowan Midland. 15 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:00
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Rowan Midland
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Bell 412
- Registration
- N177EH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- ERA Aviation Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- West. Carribean → New Orleans
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW91IA143
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Probable cause
THE MECHANIC'S FAILURE TO ASSEMBLE THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT CORRECTLY AND THE SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF INSPECTION PROCEDURES FOR OFFSHORE MAINTENANCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING TAKEOFF FROM A MOVING VESSEL, THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO FLY IN AN EFFORT TO REACH AN OFFSHORE PLATFORM. AS DIRECTION CONTROL BECAME MORE UNSTABLE, THE CAPTAIN ORDERED THE FIRST OFFICER TO MAKE A WATER LANDING. FLOATS WERE INFLATED AND THE LANDING WAS MADE WITHOUT INCIDENT. ALL 15 ON BOARD WERE RECOVERED WITHOUT INCIDENT. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT HAD BEEN ASSEMBLED INCORRECTLY AND THAT THE QUILL ASSEMBLY HAD FAILED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 412 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 1991 | Bell 412SP | Merion, Pennsylvania, United States | Sun Company Inc. | Fatal | 5 |
| 26 Aug 1991 | Bell 412 | Garden Banks | Petroleum Helicopters | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Jul 1991 | Bell 412 | Grand Junction, Colorado, United States | Air Methods Corporation | No injuries | - |
| 3 Nov 1990 | Bell 412 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 1993 | Bell 412 | Cameron, Louisiana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 1993 | Bell 412 | Topanga, California, United States | Los Angeles County Fire Dept | Unknown | - |