Bell 206B accident near High Island 116, December 27, 2000
On December 27, 2000 at about 3:30 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N83137, was destroyed in an accident near High Island 116. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
undetermined, missing aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 2000 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- High Island 116
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N83137 · no longer on the register · serial 1015
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the dark night, CFR Part 135 cargo, offshore flight over the Gulf of Mexico, the single-engine helicopter did not reached the destination platform. As of April 2002, the commercial pilot and the helicopter are missing. The pilot is presumed fatal, and the aircraft is presumed destroyed. Search efforts were hampered by weather including 8 to 10 foot seas, wind from 25 to 44 knots, thunderstorms, rain, fog, and visibilities between 0 and 3 miles with a cloud ceiling ranging from 200 to 600 feet. During the multiple air and surface searches, covering in excess of 7,000 square miles, no wreckage or debris was recovered. The 61 year-old pilot had accumulated over 15,000 flight hours. The pilot flew 950.6 hours in the previous calendar year, 298.7 hours in the previous quarter, and 108.4 hours in the current month. The pilot's flight/duty day began at 0800 and he had accumulated 7 flight hours prior to his last communication with dispatch. The helicopter was equipped with fixed floats; however, aside from the pilot's life vest, there was no overwater survival equipment aboard the helicopter. The helicopter was neither equipped nor certified for flight in IMC. A GPS and a telephone were installed in the helicopter. Total airframe time was 17,843.6 hours with 28.5 hours accumulated since the last continuous airworthiness inspection. The meteorological conditions probably existing near the destination platform were: cloud bases near 700 feet, flight visibility 0 in the clouds and near 3 miles below the lowest cloud base, light turbulence below 5,000 feet, and winds southerly at 22 to 29 knots.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,454 hours in all; 4,998 in this make and model; 309 in the last 90 days; 123 in the last 30 days; 15,350 as pilot in command; 6,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 18, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,843.6 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 17, 2000; 28.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE South Marsh GM
- Destination: NONE High Island 116 GM
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from BPT, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.