Bell 407 accident near Grand Isle S108, September 18, 1997
On September 18, 1997 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Bell 407 (helicopter), registered N467PH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Isle S108. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The tail rotor blade strike(s) that severed the aft portion of the tailboom, subsequently rendering the pilot with no tail rotor control while in cruise flight. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced autorotative landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1997 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Isle S108 · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 407 · all 407s on the register
- Registration
- N467PH · registry record · serial 53142
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was in cruise flight over open ocean water at 130 knots and 800 feet MSL, when the pilot felt a "violent jerk or yaw" and heard a grinding sound coming from the rear of the aircraft. The pilot attempted to correct the yaw with the anti-torque pedals, but there was no response, and the aircraft continued to yaw to the right and the nose pitched down. The pilot reduced the throttle and initiated an autorotation. He stated that the helicopter made "almost" a 360-degree right turn before contact with the water at a level pitch attitude with "slight" forward speed. One of the 4 passengers recalled seeing an object fall and hit the water, "leaving a circular motion" on top of the water, just prior to the helicopter landing in the water. The helicopter remained afloat on its deployed skid mounted float system and was recovered on the day of the accident, with the exception of the aft section of the tail boom, including the tail rotor gearbox, vertical fin, and tail rotor hub and blade assembly, which was missing. The aft section of the tail boom was recovered approximately 3 months later. Detailed examination of the tail boom separation area revealed multiple fractures and tears between tail boom stations 148 and 162. Examination of the fractured area revealed no evidence of fatigue. There was evidence of 4 tail rotor blade strikes between tail boom stations 150.9 and 153.2. One of the tail rotor blades was fractured about 14 to 18 inches from the inboard end, with the outboard section missing. The metallic leading edge of the remaining inboard section of this blade was deformed and twisted toward the tail boom. The other tail rotor blade was relatively intact with an indentation near the leading edge on the side toward the tail boom located about 18 inches from the inboard end of the blade. White paint, similar to the paint on the tail boom was found smeared onto the tail rotor blade's black paint in the area of the indentation. Detailed examinations of the tail rotor hub and blade assembly, tail rotor mast, tail rotor controls, tail rotor drive system, and the 90-degree gearbox mounting system did not reveal the reason for the in-flight contact of the tail rotor blades with the tail boom.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,773 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 163 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 9,961 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 3, 1997
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 177 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 6, 1997; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C-47B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Petroleum Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Ewing Banks-286 GM at 12:29 pm
- Destination: 7R1 Venice LA
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.