What happened
On April 8, 2009, at 1706 CDT, a Bell 222B helicopter, registration N309CH, was performing a Part 135 on-demand passenger flight from William P. Hobby Airport (KHOU) in Houston, Texas, to a ship anchored in the Gulf of Mexico. The aircraft was approaching the 870-foot motor tanker Wilana, located approximately 71 nautical miles southeast of Galveston, Texas.
While the pilot was being directed by ship personnel to land on the "winch only" area of the deck, the helicopter's tail rotor struck a valve assembly that protruded from the ship's deck. This impact caused the helicopter to yaw approximately 60 degrees to the right. Following the initial strike, the tail of the aircraft struck the ship's side rail before the helicopter came to an upright position on the deck.
All 5 persons on board (the pilot and four passengers) and all persons on the ship were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to its fuselage, tail boom, horizontal stabilizer, tail rotor blades, tail rotor hub, and tail rotor gearbox. The ship's side rail and the deck valve sustained minor damage.
Safety message
In the pilot's statement, it was recommended that pilots exercise extreme caution during confined-area shipboard landings and remain especially vigilant for obstacles that are painted the same color as the deck.