- Date
- August 30, 1986, 15:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Isle
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3905GBell 206L-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860830043719A
- Case key
- 22085
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft crashed into the gulf of Mexico following a suspected eng failure shortly after lift off from an offshore platform. The plt stated that after takeoff, while at 40 KTS and 200 ft above the water, he heard a loud squeal followed by the low RPM audio and a loss of eng power. He attempted to inflate the emergency floats 2 or 3 times, but was not successful. The acft landed hard rolled over and sank. The plt extricated himself and swam back to the rig where he was found several minutes later on the lower boat deck. The wreckage sank and was never recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3905G
- Reported as
- Bell 206L-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4560
- Airframe hours
- 12,296
- Engine
- Allison 250-C28B, 435 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- 43AA · Grand Isle-43
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 8,468 total · 5,264 in this make and model · 8,441 as pilot in command · 97 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GNI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.