N180AL

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On December 11, 2008, approximately 0730 central standard time, a Bell Helicopter 206L-4, N180AL, owned and operated by Rotorcraft Leasing Company L.L.C., was destroyed when it impacted water, six miles south of Sabine Pass, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The non-scheduled domestic passenger flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135, and was operating on a company flight plan. The commercial pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The cross-country flight departed Sabine Pass at 0722 and was en route to, West Cameron 157, an offshore drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to officials with Rotorcraft Leasing Company L.L.C. (RLC) the pilot met his passengers, all employees of Island Operating Company, Inc., in Sabine Pass on the morning of the accident. Witnesses observed the pilot preflight and prepare the helicopter for the flight. At 0725, the pilot contacted RLC Communications Center and filed a flight plan from Sabine Pass to West Cameron 157. The pilot reported that he had four passengers and two hours of fuel on board, and expected to arrive at the destination at 0742.

RLC’s Communications Center provided flight following services for the accident flight. Company policy required that a 15-minute position report be made for every flight. When the 15 minutes had elapsed (from the time the pilot filed his flight plan until his anticipated position report was due) the dispatcher immediately began to look for the helicopter. She attempted to contact the pilot at the destination platform, and the departure location with no success. The dispatch supervisor was notified of the missing helicopter within eight to 13 minutes of the missed report. Company helicopters in the area were launched in search of the missing helicopter with negative results. According to RLC records, the Coast Guard was notified of the missing helicopter between 0912 and 0913. According to the Coast Guard they were notified of the missing helicopter at 0917. Recovery vehicles were dispatched, and the helicopter wreckage was located approximately 1100 and recovered to Broussard, Louisiana, for further examination.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 43, held a commercial pilot certificate with helicopter and instrument ratings last issued on May 7, 2007. He was issued a second class airman medical certificate on May 20, 2008. The certificate contained the limitation “must wear corrective lenses while flying.”

The pilot’s personal flight logbook was not located. According to the pilot’s resume he submitted to RLC in October of 2008, he had logged no less than 3,450 hours total time; 3,390 hours of which were logged in single engine helicopters, and 73 hours in simulated and actual instrument meteorological conditions. RLC flight records reflected the pilot had 220 hours of “offshore” flight experience.

RLC hired the pilot on October 10, 2008. According to the company records, he received his initial training in October of 2008. Between the dates of October 13, 2008, and October 22, 2008, he had completed a total of 15.8 hours of flight training in the Bell 206 B and L3 models. The pilot’s airman competency and proficiency checks for CFR 135.293 (Initial and recurrent pilot testing), and 135.299 (Pilot in command: Line checks: Routes and Airports) were completed with a satisfactory rating in all tested areas on October 22, 2008. In addition to his flight training, the pilot successfully completed “Water Survival/Helicopter Underwater Egress Training” on October 20, 2008, at Acadiana Safety Association.

According to the “RLC Pilot’s Monthly Summary” flight sheets, the pilot had flown 15.8 hours in October, 42.2 hours in November, and 19.1 hours in December. The pilot had logged no less than 77.1 hours in the Bell 206 while employed at RLC.

During interviews with the director of operations, chief pilot, and safety officer, the pilot’s training, experience, and flight ability were discussed. It was elaborated that the pilot had good flight skills and demonstrated good situational control during flight. The pilot had not been involved in any previous events or activities that would have raised question as to his judgment or ability.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident helicopter, a Bell 206-L4 (serial number 52104), was manufactured in 1994. It was registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on a standard airworthiness certificate for normal operations. An Allison 250-C30P turbine engine rated at 650 shaft-horsepower powered the helicopter.

The helicopter was registered to and operated by Rotorcraft Leasing Company, LLC., and was maintained under an approved inspection program. A review of the maintenance records indicated that the last inspection had been completed on November 30, 2008, at an airframe total time of 6,331.3 hours. The helicopter had flown 28.7 hours between the last inspection and the accident and had a total airframe time of 6,360 hours.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The closest official weather observation station was Southeast Texas Regional Airport (KBPT), Beaumont/Port Arthur, Texas, located 21 nautical miles (nm) north of the accident site. The elevation of the weather observation station was 15 feet mean sea level (msl). The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for KBPT, issued at 0653, reported, winds, 300 degrees at 9 knots; visibility, 10 miles; sky condition, overcast 4,400; temperature 1 degrees Celsius (C); dew point, minus 1 degrees C; altimeter, and 30.01 inches of mercury (Hg).

A special report was issued at the approximate time of the accident at 0736, which indicated winds at 300 degrees at 12 knots; visibility, 10 miles; ceiling broken at 1,200 feet, broken at 4,600 feet, and overcast at 12,000 feet; temperature, 1 degree C; dew point minus 1 degree C; and altimeter 30.03 inches of Hg.

A review of the observations indicated that a strong cold front moved through during the previous evening producing instrument meteorological conditions with visibility restricted in light rain, mixed freezing precipitation that turned to light to moderate snow, which ended at 0612 with a dusting of snow reported. At the time of the accident, the low pressure system was located to the east in central Alabama with a cold front extending south-southwestward into the Gulf of Mexico, with northwest winds of 30 knots behind the front.

The Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Missouri, issued the offshore area forecast at 0500 the day of the accident. The forecast for coastal waters, including the accident helicopter’s route of flight, predicted scattered to broken clouds at 1,000 feet, broken clouds at 2,500 feet, with clouds tops at 5,000 feet. The surface winds were forecast to be out of the northwest at 20 to 25 knots. Occasional broken clouds at 700 feet with visibility three to five miles in rain and mist were forecast.

The National Weather Service also had a full series of Airman's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) current for the area. AIRMET Zulu for moderate icing conditions from the freezing level to 20,000 feet, AIRMET Tango for potential moderate turbulence below 12,000 feet, and AIRMET Sierra for instrument flight rules conditions with ceilings below 1,000 feet and/or visibility below three statute miles in precipitation and mist.

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) images taken at 0732 and 0745 depicted mid- to high-level clouds in the area of the accident. Breaks in the upper level clouds depicted low-level stratus-type clouds over the Gulf of Mexico in the vicinity of the accident location. A small band of stratocumulus was identified in the immediate vicinity of the accident site, consistent with that associated with more vertical development of clouds capable of producing snow showers. The Lake Charles (KLCH) WSR-88D weather radar did not detect any significant echoes over the accident site. The vertical azimuth display wind profile depicted winds from the north-northwest at 25 knots at 1,000 feet, increasing to 30 knots at 2,000 feet.

Water temperature was recorded at 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to RLC, other flights in the area had been grounded or delayed due to the passing weather.

According to a pilot involved in the search and rescue efforts, he encountered northwest winds at 30 knots gusting to 35 knots, a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit (F), visibility greater than 10 miles, and a ceiling of 700 feet overcast. This weather was encountered at the accident site.

The pilot had not obtained a weather briefing through the FAA Flight Service Station or by utilizing a Direct User Access Terminal System (DUATS). The pilot was observed utilizing the computer prior to the accident to obtain weather information.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The accident site was located two miles offshore in 13 to 15 feet of water. The wreckage was recovered and relocated to a secure hangar in Broussard, Louisiana, for further examination.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Southeast Texas Forensic Center, Inc., (Jefferson County Morgue) performed the autopsy on the pilot on December 12, 2008, as authorized by the Justice of the Peace, Precinct 8, Jefferson County, Texas. The autopsy revealed the cause of death as a “crushed chest complicated by asphyxia due to drowning.”

The FAA’s Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological tests on specimens that were collected during the autopsy (CAMI Reference #200800281001). Results were negative for all tests conducted.

The Southeast Texas Forensic Center, Inc., (Jefferson County Morgue) performed the autopsies on the four passengers, as authorized by the Justice of the Peace, Precinct 8, Jefferson County, Texas. The autopsies revealed the cause of death as a “asphyxia due to drowning with probable...