Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 incident near Galveston, Texas, October 6, 2007
On October 6, 2007 at about 1:01 pm local time, a Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1, registered N3899C, suffered minor damage in an incident near Galveston, Texas. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of tail rotor control during initial takeoff climb due to the fracture of a tail rotor blade as result of impact with a foreign object.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 2007 · about 1:01 pm local time
- Place
- Galveston, Texas · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N3899C · no longer on the register · serial 45596
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that as the helicopter was accelerating through 40 to 50 knots in a slight climb, while still only about 200 feet away from the departed offshore platform, he felt and heard a "loud bang" as the tail of the helicopter yawed to the right. He added that the helicopter started to descend and he made a mayday call as he prepared for the water landing. The helicopter touched down in a nose high attitude, and the tail rotor system was reported to have contacted the water. The emergency flotation system deployed successfully and the helicopter and the passengers reported that the helicopter made a smooth water landing. A detailed follow-up engine examination was conducted at the operator's maintenance facilities. The investigation concluded that there was no evidence of distress or failure observed on any of the components of the compressor, engine gearbox, or turbine assemblies that might have accounted for the loud bang reported by the pilot and the passengers during the accident sequence. Additionally, no unresolved engine-related discrepancies were found in the examined aircraft or engine records. The operator reported that a section of a tail rotor blade was found on a beach miles from the site. The blade was verified to be from the accident helicopter. The portion of the tail rotor blade was forwarded to a lab, where further examination revealed marks on the leading edge of the blade. The marks extended approximately thirteen inches from the tip of the blade and appeared to be evenly spaced. The fracture appeared to be the result of overload. The transferred material was confirmed not to be from any part of the helicopter. The analysis of the material revealed that it was possibly the metal bindings of a notebook. The suspected 3-ring binder was not located and none of the 3 occupants of the helicopter reported losing a 3-ring binder. The manager of the offshore helideck reported that there were no lose objects of any type at the helideck and FOD sweeps are made on a routine basis. The source of the missing binder could not be established.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,291 hours in all; 1,443 in this make and model; 144 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 4,275 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 4, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,783 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 4, 2007; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C30P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Logistics LLC, A Bristow Company
The flight
- Departed from: Galveston TX
- Destination: Hi-138 GM
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,900 ft; a few clouds at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from KGLS, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.