Eurocopter EC 130 accident near Bay St Louis, Mississippi, October 11, 2007
On October 11, 2007 at about 11:20 am local time, a Eurocopter EC 130 (helicopter), registered N997PT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bay St Louis, Mississippi (Stennis Intl airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's encounter with dynamic rollover as result of his inadequate preflight inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2007 · about 11:20 am local time
- Place
- Bay St Louis, Mississippi · Stennis Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter EC 130 · all EC 130s on the register
- Registration
- N997PT · no longer on the register · serial 3809
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was distracted by a short conversation with another pilot during an early morning preflight inspection of the helicopter. Following the preflight inspection of the turbine powered helicopter, the commercial pilot attempted to takeoff with the right side tie-down strap still securing the helicopter to the ground. Approximately 2-to-3- feet above ground level (agl), the pilot felt a tug as the slack was removed from the strap and the helicopter entered a dynamic rollover. The main rotor blades impacted the ground and the helicopter began to spin to the left. The pilot lowered the collective and the helicopter landed hard before coming to rest in an upright position. The pilot was able to exit unassisted. An examination of the helicopter revealed that the tail boom sustained structural damage during the accident.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 375 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 16,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,360 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 5,350 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 2B1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HSA Bay St Louis MS at 11:20 am
- Destination: PTN Patterson LA
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.