Aerospatiale AS350BA accident near Ship Shoal 80, July 7, 2003
On July 7, 2003 at about 11:22 pm local time, a Aerospatiale AS350BA (helicopter), registered N147BH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ship Shoal 80. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the safety fence while landing on an off-shore helipad.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2003 · about 11:22 pm local time
- Place
- Ship Shoal 80 · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS350BA · all AS350BAs on the register
- Registration
- N147BH · registry record · serial 1273
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot made a "normal" approach into the wind to the center of an off-shore helipad and was terminating to a 4 to 5-foot hover. As the pilot leveled the helicopter to set it down on the deck, he heard a loud "metal crunching" noise coming from the rear of the aircraft. The helicopter began rotating to the left and drifting rearward. The pilot was able to set the helicopter on the deck after it made about 1.5 revolutions. The pilot reported that the wind was from 120 degrees at 10 knots. An examination of the landing area, by an FAA inspector, revealed damage to the safety fence that was consistent with tail rotor contact.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,800 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 8,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 26, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,264.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 28, 2003; 22.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 1B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Texair Helicopters, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Ship Shoal 79 GM at 11:09 pm
- Destination: Ship Shoal 80 GM
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.