- Date
- March 7, 1991, 19:30 local (Mar 8, 1991, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- High Island, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Other
- Aircraft
- N59491Bell 206B II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910307004929A
- Case key
- 23309
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
For occurrence #1 - inadequate supervision by the operator in launching a hazardous mission without an adequate sling/harness, the pilot's poor judgement in accepting and continuing the mission into low light conditions, and the crewmember's inadvertent release of his hold of the nylon strap. For occurrences #2-4 - failure of the tail rotor drive shaft as a result of entanglement of an unsecured nylon strap.
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 mission was to locate and mark a downed helicopter floating inverted offshore. A crewman was lowered by a nylon strap to attach the marker bouy. As darkness set in, the crewman signaled to come back aboard. The other observer threw the nylon strap to the crewman on the floating helicopter. The inboard end of the strap was attached to a seat belt anchor point. During the retrieval the crewman released his hold on the strap and fell into the water. During the subsequent search activity the crewman was found drowned. The pilot subsequently reported a low fuel state to the participating U.S.coast guard helicopter and returned toward galveston. As he arrived over the beach the pilot experienced a loss of directional control and autorotated to a hard landing. The nylon strap that had been left hanging outside the helicopter had become entangled around the tail rotor shearing the drive shaft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N59491
- Reported as
- Bell 206B II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1291
- Engine
- Allison C-250, 400 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Dme Helicopters, Inc., doing business as Dooley Helicopters, Inc.
- Departed
- GLS · Galveston, TX
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 12,200 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 12,200 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 80° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.