Bell 412EP crash near PC03 Wellhead Tower, Zakum Field, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The Bell 412 made an uneventful approach and landing on the helideck of Wellhead Tower PC03, intending to embark ten passengers and equipment. After nine had boarded, the aircraft suddenly settled into a nose-high attitude. The engines were shut down and everyone disembarked. Examination showed the undercarriage aft crosstube had failed through fatigue from repeated cyclic loading. Existing fatigue cracking had not been found by the specified visual inspection because the cracks were hidden beneath paint. The same operator suffered a second crosstube failure on another Bell 412, A6-FLZ, twelve days later. Transport Canada and the FAA subsequently issued airworthiness directives, the latter adding a 10,000-landing life limit to the crosstube.