Pilot Debrief

BELL 407 near Morgan City, LA — 2022-10-26

Final reportCEN23FA019
Sign in to save
Date
2022-10-26
Location
Morgan City, LA, USA
Airport
PTN
Aircraft
BELL 407
Registration
N34BM
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The pilot’s loss of consciousness due to a cardiovascular event.

NTSB narrative

**This report was modified on March 10, 2026. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.** The helicopter was returning to its home base after a normal offshore air taxi flight. The pilot was seated in the right front seat, one passenger was seated in the left front seat, and another passenger was seated in the right rear seat. The left front seat passenger stated that they were flying about 1,500 ft above the water when the pilot expressed that he was not feeling well. The pilot then slumped over in his seat and became unresponsive. The passenger seated in the right rear seat reported that he also saw the pilot slump over in his seat. With the helicopter about 400 ft above the water, the front left seat passenger reported that he reached over and attempted to control the helicopter with the pilot’s controls. At some point during the descent, the skid-mounted float system was deployed. The helicopter impacted the water and became inverted. After impact, both passengers egressed and waited on top of the floating helicopter’s belly until they were rescued. During salvage operations, most of the helicopter wreckage was lost at sea. The only parts of the helicopter that were recovered included portions of the intermediate fuselage/ baggage compartment, and most of the landing gear skids. The tailboom was located on July 5, 2025, about 23 miles off the coast of Louisiana. Medical investigation showed that the pilot had cardiovascular conditions including high blood pressure, mild coronary artery disease, and severe aortic atherosclerosis. It is likely that the pilot’s loss of consciousness was due to diminished blood flow to his brain due to a medical event causing an abrupt drop in blood pressure, mediated by his cardiovascular system. His cardiovascular disease increased his risk for certain conditions that could lead to such an episode without leaving autopsy evidence, including unstable arrhythmia, carotid sinus syndrome, and heart attack. The pilot’s autopsy did not identify a definitive cause of his loss of consciousness. The pilot’s postmortem toxicological testing detected low levels of ethanol in blood and urine, along with n-propanol, indicating possible microbial activity in those specimens. Some or all the detected ethanol was likely from postmortem production, rather than alcohol consumption. It is unlikely that that ethanol contributed to the pilot’s incapacitation. Based on his risk factors and the surviving passengers’ accounts, the pilot’s loss of consciousness was likely due to a cardiovascular event, which resulted in the helicopter departing controlled flight and colliding with water.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have recognized and addressed health issues before the flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • 12 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents12

Related mishaps