Bell 412 accident near Eugene Is. 313, June 9, 1999
On June 9, 1999 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Bell 412 (helicopter), registered N3893S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eugene Is. 313. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 separation of a section of the tail rotor blade, and subsequent separation of the tail rotor system, as a result of fatigue cracking due to corrosion in the tail rotor blade spar.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 1999 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Eugene Is. 313
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 412 · all 412s on the register
- Registration
- N3893S · no longer on the register · serial 33022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
One of the tail rotor blades separated from the helicopter during cruise flight as a result of a fatigue crack. The pilots reported hearing a 'loud bang,' and the helicopter 'immediately and violently tucked down and left then rolled inverted and [was] spinning to the right.' The flying pilot righted the helicopter, and the non-flying pilot inflated the emergency floats prior to impacting the ocean. The outboard section of one of the tail rotor blades (which one could not be determined) was found and examined. A fatigue crack initiated in the spar in an 'area of round-bottomed corrosion pits 0.001 inch deep.' The two tail rotor blades installed on the helicopter had accumulated 4,644 and 4,913 hours, respectively. The tail rotor blades are life limited at 5,000 hours.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 19,498 hours in all; 9,495 in this make and model; 187 in the last 90 days; 77 in the last 30 days; 13,369 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,682 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 19, 1999; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,900 lb
- Seats: 13
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6T-3B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Garden Bank 172 GM at 8:24 pm
- Destination: NONE Morgan City LA
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.