What happened
On February 18, 2018, a Sikorsky S76 operated by Bristow US LLC was taxiing toward the runway for departure in New Iberia, Louisiana. During the taxi, the crew observed a bump on the concrete surface. The co-pilot attempted to stop the aircraft before reaching the feature, which was later identified as a pothole. Despite the attempt to stop, the helicopter's right main landing gear struck the pothole, causing the gear to collapse. Both the pilot and co-pilot reported that the taxi speed at the time of the impact was less than 5 knots.
There were no injuries resulting from the event. The impact caused substantial damage to the internal fuselage structure of N860AL.