Sikorsky S76A++ accident near Gulf Of Mexico, March 23, 2004
On March 23, 2004, a Sikorsky S76A++ (helicopter), registered N579EH, was destroyed in an accident near Gulf Of Mexico (Galveston - Shoals airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 10 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight crew's failure to identify and arrest the helicopter's descent for undetermined reasons, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 2004
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico · Galveston - Shoals
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 10 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S76A++ · all S76A++s on the register
- Registration
- N579EH · no longer on the register · serial 760274
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,288 hours in all; 1,489 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 5,323 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 30, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,941 hours in all; 483 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,371 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 20, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,069.4 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 22, 2004; 5.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,800 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Turbomeca Arriel 1S1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Turbomeca Arriel 1S1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Era Aviation, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: GLS Galveston TX
- Destination: Ac738
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.