Bell 206B accident near Grand Isle, Louisiana, August 8, 1982
On August 8, 1982 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N59504, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Isle, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1982 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Isle, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N59504 · no longer on the register · serial 1341
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS APPROACHING AN OFFSHORE PLATFORM FOR LANDING AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL WHEN HE FELT THE HELICOPTER SHUDDER. HE ALSO HEARD AN ENGINE-OUT HORN AND A LOW-ROTOR-RPM WARNING. HE TURNED AWAY FROM THE PLATFORM, POPPED THE EMERGENCY FLOATS AND INITIATED AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING. HOWEVER, THE FLOATS WERE NOT YET FULLY INFLATED AT THE TIME OF WATER CONTACT AND THE HELICOPTER IMMEDIATELY FLIPPED INVERTED. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE OUTER SHAFT IN THE FREE-WHEELING UNIT HAD FAILED AT THE SPLINE AREA. THIS ALLOWED THE ENGINE TO GO INTO AN OVERSPEED. THEN AUTOMATICALLY SHUT DOWN.
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: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,485 hours in all; 247 in this make and model; 157 in the last 90 days; 2,265 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,027 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0LA5 Grand Isle LA at 12:28 pm
- Destination: Timbalier Blk 2 GM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 181°F (83°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.