What happened
On January 12, 2009, an Eurocopter AS3erm AS350, operating as N193EH, was departing from a heliport located on an oil rig platform. During the departure, the pilot transitioned the aircraft into a low hover. While in this hover, the tail rotor made contact with a two-foot vertical lightning rod that was attached to the edge of the platform.
The impact resulted in several points of damage to the aircraft, including:
- Damage to the tail rotor blades
- Damage to the horizontal stabilizer
- Wrinkling of the tail boom
- Displacement of the tail rotor gearbox
There were no injuries resulting from this event. The pilot noted that the placement of the lightning rod had been observed during previous landings on the platform, as well as during the current flight operation. No mechanical issues were reported prior to the strike.
Findings
The investigation determined that the pilot failed to maintain sufficient clearance from a known obstruction on the platform edge.