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| Date: | Thursday 17 July 1997 |
| Time: | 06:30 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II |
| Owner/operator: | Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. |
| Registration: | N3892R |
| MSN: | 45594 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 25007 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C28B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Amelia, LA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | (7R3) |
| Ship Shoal 214, GM | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
After completing hover checks, the pilot initiated a takeoff through a cut in the trees. At about 60 feet AGL and 40 knots, a 'loud bang' occurred. The helicopter 'yawed left and the rotor rpm began to decay.' The pilot initiated an autorotation and made a 'hard/steep right turn' towards the only available landing area 75 yards to his right rear. The helicopter landed hard on its right skid and rolled over coming to rest on its right side. The engine was test run, and its performance exceeded new engine specifications. Following the test run, the engine was partially disassembled and inspected. Indications of blood and flesh were found in the impeller and through the compressor air discharge tubes. This finding was consistent with other engines that had been examined and found to have ingested green tree frogs. The pilot also reported that during his preflight inspection, he did not observe any green tree frogs.
Probable Cause: partial loss of engine power due to frog(s) being ingested into the engine. Factors relating to the accident were: the lack of altitude and lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW97LA270
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 6 April 2025 | HL9303 | The SKY | 1 | Daegu |  |
w/o |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Mar-2024 13:07 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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