ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 193367
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| Date: | Monday 6 February 2017 |
| Time: | 19:09 |
| Type: |  Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III |
| Owner/operator: | Republic Helicopters Inc |
| Registration: | N978RH |
| MSN: | 4075 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1989 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 15287 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | West Bay, near Galveston, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Offshore |
| Departure airport: | Galveston, TX |
| El Paso, TX (2TE1) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The non-scheduled passenger helicopter flight, chartered by inspection company SGS, departed from an oil tanker ship that was anchored in a bay. The pilot reported that the departure had been delayed, but, when the helicopter did depart, the weather was "good." He said he had more than 6 miles visibility, that and he could see the moon above and the water below, and that his en route altitude was between 700 and 800 feet. He added that as the flight approached the shore at 500 feet, he could see the city lights and lights off the water. The next thing he remembered was being in the water. He and the two passengers were subsequently found by the US Coast Guard about 1hour later. The nearest weather observation station, located 8 miles east of the accident site, reported an overcast ceiling of 400 feet and 5 miles visibility in mist about 17 minutes before the accident. TAFs and AIRMETs issued about 1.5 hours and 1 hour before the accident, respectively, forecast instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Postaccident examination of the helicopter wreckage was consistent with a relatively level impact, and no pre-impact mechanical anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the flight encountered IMC at night and that the pilot did not properly gauge the distance of the helicopter from the water, which led to its collision with the water.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to recognize the flight had encountered instrument meteorological conditions at night, which resulted in an unrecognized descent and collision with water.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=978RH
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/deadly-delay-gom-b206b3/
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
#OTD in 2017 Waiting for passengers to complete their work on a tanker in Galveston Bay meant this Bell 206B3 attempted a night flight back to shore.https://t.co/vOibCgCXrq #helicopter #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/8JKztAPkx9
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) February 6, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Feb-2017 08:27 | gerard57 | Added |
| 07-Feb-2017 15:10 | Paje69 | Updated [Aircraft type, Country, Source] |
| 07-Feb-2017 15:11 | harro | Updated [Location, Country] |
| 07-Feb-2017 15:14 | harro | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 07-Feb-2017 17:35 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Feb-2017 19:57 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location] |
| 08-Feb-2017 06:49 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 04-Mar-2017 14:20 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Mar-2017 15:31 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 04-Mar-2017 16:21 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location] |
| 03-Jun-2017 17:31 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 16-Dec-2017 14:54 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Registration, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Dec-2017 17:01 | harro | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Dec-2017 17:03 | harro | Updated [Photo, ] |
| 25-Dec-2020 15:16 | harro | Updated [Nature] |
| 06-Feb-2021 10:11 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report] |
| 06-Feb-2021 10:12 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, Accident report] |
| 27-Nov-2023 14:22 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Source] |
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