Bell 206L-1 accident near Cameron, Louisiana, April 22, 1982
On April 22, 1982 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N2138Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cameron, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 1982 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cameron, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N2138Y · no longer on the register · serial 45639
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N2138Y DEPARTED CAMERON, LA AFTER REFUELING EN ROUTE TO AN OFFSHORE RIG. SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE, WHILE OVER WATER, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO YAW AND VIBRATE SEVERELY. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE TAIL ROTOR PEDALS "KICKED" HARD WHEN ADDITIONAL POWER WAS APPLIED. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO SPIRAL AND TUCK TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT DEPLOYED THE FLOATS AND CLOSED THE THROTTLE IN AN EFFORT TO CUSHION THE IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE TAIL ROTOR BLADE REVEALED THAT THE BLADE TIP COUNTERWEIGHT SEPARATED, CAUSING A SEVERE DYNAMIC IMBALANCE. THE COUNTERWEIGHT SEPARATION WAS DUE TO DEBONDING OF THE WEIGHT BLOCK AND THE BLADESKIN SOMETIME PRIOR TO THE SUBJECT FLIGHT. EXAMINATION OF THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX REVEALED EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE FRACTURES OF THE GEARBOX ATTACHMENT STUB.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,033 hours in all; 196 in this make and model; 94 in the last 90 days; 2,618 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 419 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,050 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Petroleum Helicipters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Cameron LA at 10:30 am
- Destination: VE58 Gulf Of Mexico
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 129°F (54°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N2138Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.