Bell 407 incident near Eugene Is. 27, November 16, 2003
On November 16, 2003 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Bell 407 (helicopter), registered N405PH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Eugene Is. 27. 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 engine power due to the failure of the 3rd stage turbine wheel and subsequent catastrophic failure of the turbine assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 2003 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Eugene Is. 27 · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · all 407s on the register
- Registration
- N405PH · registry record · serial 53207
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter, which had a FADEC controlled turboshaft engine installed, experienced a loss of engine power after take off from an offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The 10,000-hour commercial rated helicopter pilot, reported that the helicopter "cleared" the platform deck and entered translational lift when "it lurched violently to the left and started a rapid descent." The pilot then lowered the collective and dropped the nose to avoid striking the platform. He recalled hearing a "screaming or screeching type of sound" as the helicopter descended, and was not able to maintain main rotor RPM. The helicopter landed into the water, and rolled to the right. After the occupants evacuated, the helicopter submerged 30 feet under the surface. The skid mounted float system was not activated, although the pilot stated that the floats were "armed" and that he attempted to deploy the floats while in the autorotation, via the float activation button that was mounted on the collective. The float activation button was located within a circular ring that was mounted on the pilot's collective. Download of the Incident Recorder (IR) of the ECU showed that the IR was first triggered by a droop in rotor RPM, followed by a MGT exceedence, power surge, engine flameout, and Ng underspeed in a span of 3.38 seconds. Download of the MGT instrument showed a recorded peak temperature of 953 degrees for 1 second. Teardown examination of the engine revealed a catastrophic failure of the power turbine assembly. Metallurgical examinations by the NTSB and Rolls Royce revealed evidence that the 3rd stage turbine wheel airfoil(s) had failed. A root cause of the failure was not determined, and further testing was conducted at Rolls Royce. As a result of some of the dynamic test results, Rolls Royce issued several Commercial Engine Bulletins (CEBs) regarding inspection of in-service turbine assemblies. Additionally, Bell Helicopter issued an Alert Service Bulletin (ASB), which introduced flight manual revisions to avoid power turbine RPM (Np) steady state operation between 68% and 97%. After examinations of the airframe (fuel system, rotor systems, flight control systems, drive systems, electronic control systems), no anomalies were found other than within the power turbine assembly.
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: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,433 hours in all; 1,189 in this make and model; 152 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 9,925 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,606 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 1, 2003; 124 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,250 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C47B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Ei 27 GM
- Destination: NONE Ei 63 GM
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
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.