- Date
- December 21, 1987, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Eugene Island
- Injuries
- 15 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3596NAerospatiale SA-330J
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 19, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871221070929A
- Case key
- 22532
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 helicopter, with 2 plts & 13 passengers, was on an IFR flt to a psn in the gulf of Mexico. From that psn, they proceeded under VFR to an off-shore oil drilling rig (EI-190). As the helicopter was arriving from the se, there was a strong wind from the NE. The landing platform (helipad) was located on the nw side of the oil rig. The plt elected to make an apch to the helipad by flying parallel to the upwind (NE) side of the oil rig, rather than going around the downwind side & apchg the helipad by flying into the wind. After proceeding to an area over the vcnty of the helipad, the plt turned the helicopter to the rgt & aligned it in the direction of the wind. The helicopter was then observed to drift rearward & to the rgt until the main rotor blades collided with the nw leg of the oil rig. It then crashed on the oil rig & was destroyed by impact & fire. An NTSB study showed the wind was from 040 deg at 35 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3596N
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA-330J
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1588
- Airframe hours
- 4,201
- Engine
- Turbomeca TURMO-IVC, 1,550 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Petroleum Helicopters Inc.
- Registered owner
- Connecticut Nat'L Bank
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- 2LA3 · Intracoastal, LA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- Eugene Island 190 Helipad
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 11,993 total · 319 in this make and model · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 35 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EI26, 18 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N3596N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.