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| Date: | Sunday 22 October 2006 |
| Time: | 07:30 |
| Type: |  Sikorsky S-76A |
| Owner/operator: | Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. |
| Registration: | N22342 |
| MSN: | 760096 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 19725 hours |
| Engine model: | Turbomeca Arriel 1S1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Eugene Island (EI) Block 259, Gulf of Mexico -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Offshore |
| Departure airport: | Amelia, LA (MCY) |
| Eugene Is. 259, GM | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The two crewmembers (pilot and copilot) of the twin-engine helicopter were scheduled to fly to an offshore oil platform located about 60 miles from their shore base. The helicopter was inadvertently flown into the water while the attention of both crewmembers was diverted to arming the emergency float system and activating the windshield wipers. The flight crew had made two unsuccessful attempts to pick up a passenger on the previous day, and had been unable to reach the platform due to inclement weather in the area. Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) prevailed as the crew attempted to locate and land on the platform. The copilot, who reported having accumulated a total of 10 hours in the same make and model, reported that while performing the pre-landing checklist, the helicopter impacted the water in a near-level attitude. The 16,848-hours helicopter pilot and the 1,371-hours copilot were able to egress from the helicopter and were able to swim for 2.5 hours to an abandoned platform, from which they were rescued by helicopter. The emergency float equipped helicopter rolled over and sank. The helicopter was located and recovered a few days after the mishap. The flight crew reported that there were no maintenance problems or malfunctions with the helicopter prior to their inadvertent impact with the water.
Probable Cause: The flight crew's failure to maintain clearance with the water and their diverted attention to secondary tasks while preparing to land. Contributing factor were the low ceilings and the heavy rains restricting their visibility.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20061101X01599&key=1
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Feb-2008 12:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 11-Jun-2010 12:13 | TB | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative, Plane category, ] |
| 12-Jun-2010 10:05 | TB | Updated [Location, Country, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 14-Jun-2010 06:19 | TB | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 12-Dec-2015 14:43 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:13 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:14 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 05-Dec-2017 10:15 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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