Bell 206L-1 accident near Ship Shoal Blk, June 22, 1985
On June 22, 1985 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N1086Q, was destroyed in an accident near Ship Shoal Blk. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- June 22, 1985 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Ship Shoal Blk
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N1086Q · registry record · serial 45431
- 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 HAD LANDED ON THE OFFSHORE PLATFORM AND WAS IN THE PROCESS OF REPOSITIONING THE HELICOPTER TO ONE SIDE OF THE LANDING PAD TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SPACE FOR ANOTHER AIRCRAFT WHEN THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK A 3' STEEL SIGN POST. THEBLADE SEPARATED INTO THREE PIECES. THIS CAUSED A SEVERE OUT-OF-BALANCE CONDITION OF THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM AND RESULTED IN THE TRANSMISSION BEING PULLED OUT OF THE AIRFRAME AND THE UPPER PORTION OF THE CABIN AND THE TAIL BOOM SEPARATION FROM THE AIRCRAFT.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,875 hours in all; 1,073 in this make and model; 181 in the last 90 days; 5,875 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,699 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 15, 1985; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C-28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Shp Shoal Blk GM at 6:50 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.