CEN12FA321

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from an obstacle while landing on an obstructed helipad, which resulted in a collision and loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the helipad owner to mark the helipad closed and the failure of the flight operator to report the known hazard and issue a notice to airman.

The commercial pilot was attempting to land his single-engine helicopter on a fixed production platform helipad when the main rotor blades struck the corner of an oil derrick that was partially positioned over the helipad. The pilot lost control and descended inverted into the ocean. The emergency external floats were not inflated, and the helicopter sank. At the time of the accident, a mobile jack-up rig was mated with the fixed production platform. According to the company that owned the production platform, the helipad was closed and all flight operations were being conducted from the jack-up rig’s helipad, which was larger and unobstructed. However, at the time of the accident, the production platform’s helipad was not marked closed and no notice to airman (NOTAM) had been issued to notify pilots that the helipad was closed. There was also nothing in the operator’s flight operations manual that would have restricted the pilot from landing under an obstruction. Other company pilots were aware that this helipad was a flight hazard due to the encroachment of the oil derrick, but it was never reported to management or via the company’s internal safety notification system. A review of company flight manifest records revealed that the pilot had flown to this platform on several occasions, including 2 days before the accident, and landed on the jack-up rig’s helipad. It could not be determined why the pilot decided to land on the smaller and obstructed helipad rather than the jack up rig’s larger helipad just 2 days later. Examination of the helicopter and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 28, 2012, approximately 1610 central daylight time, a Bell 206-L4 helicopter, N7077F, was substantially damaged when it collided with the Ensco 99 oil rig derrick while on approach to the South Timbalier (ST67B) production platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The commercial pilot, who was the only occupant, was fatally injured. The helicopter was registered to and operated by PHI INC, Lafayette, Louisiana. A company visual flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that originated from its base in Grand Isle, Louisiana, at 1514, and was destined for the Mississippi Canyon (MC397) and ST67B oil platforms. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the on-demand offshore flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. According to PHI INC flight manifest records, the pilot landed at MC397 at 1541, dropped off a box, and then departed for the ST67B platform at 1543 to pick up a passenger. The ST67B production platform was a permanent structure equipped with a 24-foot-long by 24-foot-wide helipad with a 3-foot-wide solid safety fence. At the time of the accident, the Ensco 99 mobile jack-up oil rig was connected on the north side of the ST67B platform. The Ensco 99 rig, which was being operated by Ensco for Energy XXI, was equipped with a 65-foot diameter helipad. At the time of the accident, the Ensco 99’s oil derrick was positioned over the ST67B helipad by about seven feet and was supposedly closed due to this encroachment. Flight operations were being conducted to/from the Ensco 99 helipad. In an interview, a witness, who was the passenger waiting to be picked up by the helicopter, stated he was standing on the Ensco 99 rig near the helipad when he heard a public announcement for a “Green deck on 67B.” Then he heard someone respond, “Green deck 67B.” The witness watched the helicopter circle the rig and then he headed toward the Ensco 99 helipad. When the helicopter did not approach the Ensco 99 helipad, he looked over the side of the rig and saw the helicopter approaching the ST67B helipad instead. The witness said the pilot’s approach was slow and steady, and the helicopter was moving forward the entire time. There were numerous workers trying to wave the pilot off from landing. The witness remembered thinking to himself, “There was no way [the pilot] could land there.” He then saw the main rotor blades hit the side of the rig and the engine revved up. The witness said the helicopter either backed out or lost control, because it came back up and the main rotor blades struck the rig a second time. Then the tail rotor struck the helipad and the entire helicopter fell back into the water. The witness said he ran over to the ST67B platform and saw life rings in the water. He could still see the helicopter, but it was sinking quickly. A life boat was also being lowered into the water by the crew stationed on the the Alliance I lift boat. The Alliance I lift boat was stationed at the southeast corner of the two rigs. The boat was staffed with a captain and a first mate, who both witnessed the accident. According to the captain, he was in his office on the boat when he heard the helicopter approaching. He got alarmed because the noise of the helicopter was so loud and he thought the ST67B helipad was closed. The captain watched the helicopter approach the pad and he could see a worker on the Ensco 99 rig trying to wave the pilot off from landing. Due to the relatively close proximity of the helicopter to the boat, the captain thought he saw the pilot trying to "pull back”, but “it was too late", and the main rotor blades struck the southeast corner of the oil derrick. The helicopter then spun rapidly and the tail boom separated from the fuselage. The helicopter descended into the water inverted. The captain immediately sounded the general alarm. The emergency floats on the helicopter were not deployed and the helicopter began to sink. In less than a minute, a rescue boat was in the water but the helicopter had already sunk from view below the surface of the water. The captain said this was the first time he had seen someone try to land on the ST67B helipad. The first mate said he was in the boat’s wheelhouse when he heard the helicopter approaching. He looked outside the window and saw the skids of the helicopter going by. He was concerned because he thought the ST67B helipad was closed due to the oil derrick’s position over the helipad. The first mate was watching a person on the Ensco 99 rig trying to wave the pilot off from continuing the approach when he heard a “pop, pop, pop” noise. At that moment, he knew the main rotor blades had struck the base of the oil derrick. When he looked back at the helicopter, it had spun around suddenly and he thought the tail rotor struck the helipad. He said, “The helicopter jumped violently and the tail seemed to fold and the chopper fell along the northeast side of the platform.” The first mate then assisted the captain and other parties in an attempt to rescue the pilot. The first mate said that he has never seen a pilot try to land on the ST67B helipad prior to the accident. Another witness was working on the north side of the oil derrick when he heard the helicopter make two passes around the oil rig. He then heard the helicopter approaching the ST67B helipad and it sounded "normal." Shortly after, the witness heard the main rotor blades impact the base of the oil derrick (rig floor). The witness then rushed down a set of stairs on the east side of the rig floor and looked over the railing. At that point, the tail boom had separated from the fuselage, and both sections were descending into the water. The witness said he had been stationed on the Ensco 99 rig for approximately four months and this was the first time he had seen a helicopter try to land on the ST67B helipad. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot was hired by PHI INC on January 5, 2012. On January 18, 2012, he successfully completed ground school and flight training in the Bell 206 helicopter and was assigned to PHI INC’s base in Grand Isle, Louisiana. He also successfully completed water survival training on January 14, 2012. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for rotorcraft-helicopter, and instrument helicopter. His last Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) First Class medical certificate was issued July 18, 2011. A review of company records and also one of the pilot’s logbooks, revealed he had accrued approximately 1,645.1 hours; of which 363 hours were in Bell 206-L3/4 model helicopter. The week before the accident, the pilot completed transition training in the Bell 407 helicopter and successfully passed an FAA Part 135 airman competency/proficiency check ride on May 24, 2012. A review of company flight manifest records revealed the pilot had been dispatched to ST67B on several occasions. His most recent trip occurred just two days before the accident on May 26, 2012. According to the passenger he flew there that day; he said the pilot got a “green deck” before landing. He described the flight as normal and the pilot made two passes around the rig before landing on the Ensco 99 helipad. The passenger said he and the pilot did not discuss which helipad to land on. The passenger said that he had flown to/from ST67B about 2 to 3 times a month prior to the accident and never had a pilot try to land on the ST67B helipad. In interviews with other PHI INC pilots based in Grand Isle, none of them recalled having a conversation with the accident pilot about the ST67B helipad. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The helicopter was a Bell 206-L4, serial number 52038. An FAA inspector performed a review of the maintenance records, which revealed that all required inspections had been completed by the operator. No discrepancies were noted. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION Weather at Fourchon, Louisiana (K9F2), approxim