N921AL

MINR
None

SIKORSKY S-92AS/N: 920090

Accident Details

Date
Monday, March 22, 2010
NTSB Number
CEN10IA169
Location
Galliano, LA
Event ID
20100323X10126
Coordinates
29.412221, -90.294441
Aircraft Damage
MINR
Highest Injury
None
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
0
Minor Injuries
0
Uninjured
14
Total Aboard
14

Probable Cause and Findings

An unsecured access door, which departed the helicopter and damaged a main rotor blade and a tail rotor blade. Contributing to the incident was the helicopter's color scheme, which made visual inspection of the door difficult.

Aircraft Information

Registration
N921AL
Make
SIKORSKY
Serial Number
920090
Engine Type
Turbo-shaft
Year Built
2008
Model / ICAO
S-92AS92
Aircraft Type
Rotorcraft
No. of Engines
2

Registered Owner (Historical)

Name
BRISTOW US LLC
Address
4605 INDUSTRIAL DR
Status
Deregistered
City
NEW IBERIA
State / Zip Code
LA 70560-9124
Country
United States

Analysis

On March 22, 2010, at an undetermined time, a Sikorsky S-92A, N921AL, received minor damage when an Environmental Control System (ECS) panel departed the helicopter and struck one main rotor blade and one tail rotor blade. The two airline transport pilots and 12 passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a company visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on-demand air taxi flight. The helicopter was owned and operated by Bristow U.S. LLC. The flight departed the Air Logistics Galliano Heliport (2LS0), Galliano, Louisiana, at 0605, flew to offshore platform Walker Ridge 206, and returned to 2LS0 approximately 0855.

According to a statement provided by the pilot, through the company's safety department, the helicopter entered moderate turbulence fifteen minutes into the flight. No unusual characteristics or noises were reported during the flight. Damage to the helicopter was found during a post-flight inspection. The ECS panel has not been recovered, and it is unknown when the panel separated from the helicopter.

The helicopter's ECS and APU panels were both painted the same color. This made the visual inspection of the panels difficult to detect if the doors were properly secured. As a result of the incident the company applied contrasting paint to help detect if the doors are not properly secured.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN10IA169