Aerospatiale AS-350D incident near E. Cameron, March 1, 1983
On March 1, 1983 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Aerospatiale AS-350D (helicopter), registered N3593D, suffered minor damage in an incident near E. Cameron. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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 incident. 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
- March 1, 1983 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- E. Cameron
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS-350D · all AS-350Ds on the register
- Registration
- N3593D · no longer on the register · serial 1060
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN APPROACH TO AN OIL DRILLING RIG PLATFORM, THE ENGINE DECELERATED AS THE PILOT STARTED TO ALL POWER. WITH THE ACFT BELOW THE LANDING AREA, HE MANEUVERED TO MISS THE PLATFORM & INITIATED AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING. HE MADE A MAYDAY CALL & TRIED TO ELECTRICALLY DEPLOY THE EMERGENCY FLOATS; HOWEVER, THE RIGHT FLOAT FAILED TO INFLATE & THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT TIME FOR MANUAL DEPLOYMENT. IMMEDIATELY ON TOUCHDOWN, THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER & BEGAN TO FILL WITH WATER. REPORTEDLY, THERE WAS ONLY MINOR DAMAGE FROM WATER IMMERSION. NO PREIMPACT DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE POWER LOSS. THE WIRES TO THE RIGHT FLOAT (FOR ELECTRICAL DEPLOYMENT) WERE WORN IN TWO AT A CENTER HEX HEAD SCREW. A FLEET INSPECTION OF 37 ACFT REVEALED THAT 60% WERE WORN THRU IN THE SAME AREA.
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: 2,286 hours in all; 393 in this make and model; 122 in the last 90 days; 2,014 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,486 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 18, 1983; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming LTS-101 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E. Cameron 33A GM at 3:50 pm
- Destination: E. Cameron 42B GM
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.