Aerospatiale AS-355F accident near Morgan City, Louisiana, January 4, 1984
On January 4, 1984 at about 12:55 pm local time, a Aerospatiale AS-355F (helicopter), registered N5792X, was destroyed in an accident near Morgan City, Louisiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 4, 1984 · about 12:55 pm local time
- Place
- Morgan City, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS-355F · all AS-355Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5792X · no longer on the register · serial 5106
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLTS IN A HELICOPTER ENCOUNTERED FOGGY WEATHER DURING A POSITIONING FLT AND CRASHED INTO A LAKE ABOUT 4 MI FROM THE DEPARTURE POINT, A FISHERMAN WHO WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT SAID THE ACFT DESCENDED INTO THE WATER IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE ACFT SKIPPED AND TUMBLED FOR ABOUT 100 YARDS BEFORE IT SANK. PLTS, WHO WERE SEARCHING IN THE AREA & THAT THERE WAS A SCUD LAYER BETWEEN 100 & 300 FT AGL. A COUPLE OF AIRCREWS REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THEIR WINDSPEEDS FOGGEDUP ON BOTH THE INSIDE & OUTSIDE, REDUCING THEIR FORWARD VISIBILITY. ADDITIONALLY, THE PLTS REPORTED DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING A VISIBLE HORIZON BELOW 300 FT AGL.
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: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,586 hours in all; 607 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 10,121 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,723 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 26, 1983; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,070 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C-20F (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7R3 at 12:50 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 50 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:10 pm from SAWR, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.