Bell 206L-1 accident near Sabine Pass, Texas, January 25, 1986
On January 25, 1986 at about 3:04 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N5748Y, was involved in an accident near Sabine Pass, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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 25, 1986 · about 3:04 pm local time
- Place
- Sabine Pass, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N5748Y · no longer on the register · serial 45495
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT ENCOUNTERED DETERIORATING WEATHER ENROUTE FROM SHORE TO AN OIL RIG THAT WAS UNDER TOW IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. UPON ENCOUNTERING IMC CONDITIONS, THE PLT CLIMBED TO 600' AGL FOR BETTER OBSTACLE CLEARANCE AND TURNED BACK TOWARD THE BEACH. DURING A SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPT TO REACQUIRE VMC CONDITIONS THE PLT ENTERED A DESCENDING RIGHT TURN. THE PLT STATED THAT DURING THE TURN A RAPID DESCENT RATE DEVELOPED AND THAT HE WAS ABLE TO ARREST IT USING FULL COLLECTIVE, JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT WITH THE TIDAL MUD FLATS. THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING WITH NO DAMAGE BUT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED DURING THE RECOVERY EFFORT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,473 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 3,222 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,435 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,050 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Sky: broken clouds at 200 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:07 pm from RPE, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.