N3913S
BELL 206L-1
THE HELICOPTER HAD BEEN LOADED NEAR ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT OF 4150 LBS. THE PLT RPRTD THAT DURING AN APCH TO AN OFFSHORE PLATFORM IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO WIND. AS THE APCH SPEED DROPPED BELOW EFFECTIVE TRANSLATIONAL LIFT, THE PLT NOTED A SHUDDER THAT DID NOT SEEM NORMAL, SO HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND. AS HE APPLIED POWER & PEDAL TO GO AROUND, THE ACFT SPUN TO THE RGT & THE NOSE TUCKED. THE PLT TRIED TO CORRECT THE SITUATION, BUT WAS UNABLE. HE RPRTD THAT JUST BEFORE WATER IMPACT HE LEVELED THE HELICOPTER, DEPLOYED THE EMERG FLOATS & APPLIED FULL COLLECTIVE PITCH. ALSO, HE STATED THE RATE OF SPIN DECREASED AS HE APPLIED COLLECTIVE PITCH. ONE OF THE LEFT FLOATS SEPARATED ON WATER ENTRY & THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER. NO FEEDBACK OR RESTRICTION OF THE CONTROLS WAS NOTED BEFORE IMPACT. A POST-ACDNT EXAM OF THE HELICOPTER DID NOT REVEAL ANY PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE AND CORRECT A SITUATION INVOLVING LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS, RESULTING IN LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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