Bell 206L-3 incident near Gulf Of Mexico, June 10, 2010
On June 10, 2010 at about 3:52 pm local time, a Bell 206L-3 (helicopter), registered N108PH, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute near Gulf Of Mexico. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A suspected failure of the tail rotor for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the failure of the emergency floats to properly inflate due to improper installment and inspection by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 2010 · about 3:52 pm local time
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3 · all 206L-3s on the register
- Registration
- N108PH · registry record · serial 51334
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and his two passengers were in cruise flight over the Gulf of Mexico, when the pilot heard a "pop", and the single-engine helicopter suddenly pitched over and to the right. The pilot lowered the collective and stabilized the helicopter. The engine was running normally, but there was no response from the anti-torque pedals, and the pilot realized he had a possible tail rotor failure. He entered an autorotation and made a controlled landing on the top of a swell. As the helicopter settled, the pilot noticed that the center emergency float on the right side did not inflate and the helicopter rolled to the right. The pilot did not have time to activate the emergency life raft switch and exited the helicopter once it was fully inverted. While still under water, he inflated his life vest and immediately rose to the surface where he observed the two passengers. The three of them then held onto the skids of the helicopter and waited for a nearby boat to rescue them. While waiting for the boat, the pilot did a quick check of the helicopter and saw there was no damage to the underside of the tail boom. During the rescue, a tug boat arrived on the scene and attempted to secure the helicopter with ropes and drag it to a nearby barge. It was during this attempt in rough seas that the tail boom and the aft portion of the left skid along with the attached aft float separated from the helicopter and were not recovered. The main body of the helicopter including the main rotor system and the engine were recovered. A postaccident examination of the float system revealed that the flexible hoses that supply Helium to the mid and aft floats on both the left and right skids were installed incorrectly (interchanged) which resulted in non-restricted air being delivered to the mid float and restricted air being delivered to the aft float. As a result, the right side center float burst due to excessive pressure and the aft float did not fully inflate.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor › (general) › Failure
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
The aircraft
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30 SER (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Phi INC
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.