- Date
- March 23, 2004
- Place
- Gulf of Mexico
- Injuries
- 10 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N579EHSikorsky S76A++
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 2006
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 20040323007699A
- Case key
- 58950
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the flight crew's failure to identify and arrest the helicopter's descent for undetermined reasons, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The Safety Board's full report is avialable at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-06/02.
On March 23, 2004, about 1918:34 central standard time, an Era Aviation Sikorsky S-76A++ helicopter, N579EH, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico about 70 nautical miles south-southeast of Scholes International Airport (GLS), Galveston, Texas. The helicopter was transporting eight oil service personnel to the Transocean, Inc., drilling ship Discoverer Spirit, which was en route to a location about 180 miles south-southeast of GLS. The captain, copilot, and eight passengers aboard the helicopter were killed, and the helicopter was destroyed by impact forces. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on a visual flight rules flight plan. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
The Safety Board's full report is avialable at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-06/02.
On March 23, 2004, about 1918:34 central standard time, an Era Aviation Sikorsky S-76A++ helicopter, N579EH, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico about 70 nautical miles south-southeast of Scholes International Airport (GLS), Galveston, Texas. The helicopter was transporting eight oil service personnel to the Transocean, Inc., drilling ship Discoverer Spirit, which was en route to a location about 180 miles south-southeast of GLS. The captain, copilot, and eight passengers aboard the helicopter were killed, and the helicopter was destroyed by impact forces. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 on a visual flight rules flight plan. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N579EH
- Reported as
- Sikorsky S76A++
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 760274
- Airframe hours
- 1,069.4
- Engines
- Turbomeca Arriel 1S1, 825 horsepower, turbo shaftTurbomeca Arriel 1S1, 825 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- ERA Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Era Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 22, 2004 · 5.4 hours before
- Departed
- GLS · Galveston, TX
- Destination
- Ac738
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- GLS · Galveston - Shoals
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- January 30, 2004
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,288 total · 1,489 in this make and model · 5,323 as pilot in command · 64 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 46
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- February 20, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,941 total · 483 in this make and model · 1,371 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 120° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 61 °F
Docket · 81
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 22, 2004, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 45.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.