S76B 'Hard Landing' in Port Fourchon

[Savoia]

A helicopter carrying offshore personnel made a hard landing in Port Fourchon today

WAFB 9 News, Port Fourchon, Louisiana, Thursday Dec 5

According to Port Fourchon harbor chief John Callais, the helicopter was transporting people offshore to a drilling vessel.

Nine people were on board at the time of the incident including the pilot. There are no reported injuries.


Chet Chaisson with the Greater Lafourche Port Commission says the helicopter was taking off from MYU Helicopters when it had some type of malfunction and landed several hundred feet away outside of the MYU facility in a gravel lot on Highway 1 in Leeville.

The Federal Aviation Administration confirms the helicopter was trying to depart when the wind shifted causing it to abruptly settle back down to the ground.

Preliminary information indicates the landing gear was damaged as a result of the accident.

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge (http://www.wafb.com/story/24144906/helicopter-makes-hard-landing-in-port-fourchon-9-on-board)

MYU Helicopters (http://myuhelicopters.com/)


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[nomorehelosforme]

At least all safe! But does look a very expensive repair job!

[skadi]

LH stabilizer is missing.

skadi

[nomorehelosforme]

Is that a paint job or a wrap on that machine? Just asking!

[SASless]

Port Captain said a "Wind Change" during Takeoff caused the aborted takeoff.

Another case of GOM "Fill It Up! method of Weight and Balance Performance Calculations?

[Savoia]

Is that a paint job or a wrap on that machine? Just asking!

NMH: MYU offer 'transfers' for 'offshore executives' (among other things) and which I suppose is a limited market. However, they seem to have developed this service over many years but .. Helimutt is the one to ask as apparently he has met Tim Mayeux.

http://myuhelicopters.com/wp-content/themes/infocus/lib/scripts/timthumb/thumb.php?src=http://myuhelicopters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tumblr_miqokru6cH1s6jrbdo1_1280.jpg&w=960&h=340&zc=1&q=100
N707MY in her undamaged state

[SASless]

The Exec's don't like to fly with the "Bubba's"....now how could that be?:oh:

[helimutt]

Actually I have flown with Tim (me as passenger) and he's partly responsible for why im flying today. He used to take us offshore in a B407 to join our ships off of LOOP.

Great guy and didn't realise he was now using S76B.
Sorry to see the damage to this one, which will be a few $$$ to put right. Not sure why just a change of wind direction would cause that to happen and aircraft to end up hundreds of feet away. At least no-one was injured.

I notice no external floats fitted. Are they not required for GoM offshore flying?

[SASless]

It is certainly a very pretty helicopter.

[nomorehelosforme]

It is certainly a very pretty helicopter.

Don't you mean was?

[SASless]

it is not hurt too badly it appears....and should be just as pretty when repaired.

Hopefully, there wasn't a lot of structural damage that would complicate getting the aircraft back into service.

It will need a bit more than some Bondo and sandpaper however.

[chute packer]

I notice no external floats fitted. Are they not required for GoM offshore flying?

Near impossible to see from the outside whether float are fitted to an S76. Aft floats are up in the gear doors, nose floats in compartments either side of the nose gear.

[John Eacott]

I notice no external floats fitted. Are they not required for GoM offshore flying?

If you look at the MYU photo on their website you can see the float under the stbd gear door and the cable to it.

[helimutt]

Now that its daylight and i'm awake I can see better. Thanks John.

[fly911]

I'm guessing that there might be an over-torque inspection due as well.

[Peter-RB]

With what looks like a pretty hard type of landing ( read near crash landing) what else on that ship will need to be looked at before any re-flights are undertaken, ..for instance will the Txmission and final drive need to be examined or at least oil check for metal in oil or would that show up purely on power (electric) being switched on, and what about the flex that must have been involved with the tail and rotors.

Only asking not trying to be a smart ar*e.

Petee R-B
Misty rainy cold Lancashire UK

[John Eacott]

R-B,

The S76 has an enormously forgiving undercarriage, along with a torsion bar that pushes down on the other main gear and equalises the load on touch down. On the original C30 powered S76A the drill for SE failure in the hover was to lower the collective and let the U/C take the load rather than cook the good engine.

But the Maintenance Manual will have a few pages of checks following a bingle of the sort shown in the photo ;)

[unstable load]

But the Maintenance Manual will have a few pages of checks following a bingle of the sort shown in the photo
A quick look in the structural manual won't be amiss either......:ooh:

[helimutt]

i'd imagine there'll be a fair few checks to do. saying that, the s76 is a very strong aircraft. ive seen two pulled over and had undercarriage ripped off, and it was expensive but they flew again. Not sure how bad it'll be, the fact this was at flying power at the time.

just dont understand how this actually happened. loss of control? ending up hundreds of feet from take off point?
weird

[ShyTorque]

Nine POB....? I wonder how far it was supposed to go....

[helimutt]

we have 14 pob on ours and go 140 miles. :)

Mind you, ours dont have PT6's