- Date
- January 23, 1990, 16:35 local (22:35 UTC)
- Place
- High Island Ao6
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5791NAerospatiale AS355F-1
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900123001969A
- Case key
- 23099
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
Undetermined due to the lack of physical evidence.
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 pilot was attempting to fly from an offshore location to a company onshore base. The weather was IMC along the entire Texas coast, with fog reported both on and offshore. On several occasions, the pilot elected to change destinations in an attempt to get onshore. The last communications with the pilot indicated the helicopter was approximately 20 miles offshore from its destination. The pilot and the helicopter were not recovered. Several parts from the helicopter were recovered and identified. The helicopter was equipped for basic VFR flight only and the pilot lacked recent instrument time.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5791N
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale AS355F-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5117
- Airframe hours
- 5,795
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20F, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Petroleum Helicopters Inc.
- Registered owner
- Petroleum Helicopters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 15, 1990 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · High Island 511, GM
- Destination
- NONE · Sabine Pass, TX
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 44
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,103 total · 175 in this make and model · 4,616 as pilot in command · 89 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NONE, 20 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.