Sikorsky S-76A accident near Offshore Oil, March 24, 1988
On March 24, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Sikorsky S-76A (helicopter), registered N1547N, was involved in an accident near Offshore Oil. 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 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
- March 24, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Offshore Oil
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-76A · all S-76As on the register
- Registration
- N1547N · no longer on the register · serial 760088
- 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
AFTER LANDING ON THE PLATFORM, THE COPILOT MOVED THE POWER LEVERS TO FLIGHT IDLE AND SET THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE TIP PATH PLANE TO THE HEIGHT NORMALLY USED. WHEN AN ENPLANNING PASSENGER CAME UP THE STAIRS ONTO THE PLATFORM, HE WAS STRUCK ON THE HEAD BY THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE. THE OPERATOR REPORTED THAT THE INJURED PASSENGER HAD BEEN REQUIRED TO VIEW A VIDEO TAPE RECORDING THAT SHOWED THE PROPER PROCEDURES TO USE WHEN ENPLANNING OR DEPLANNING. ADDITIONALLY, THEY REPORTED THAT HE HAD BEEN GIVEN SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS TO BEND OVER TO LOWER HIS HEIGHT WHEN UNDER THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,382 hours in all; 1,819 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,776 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 14, 1988; 97 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,500 lb
- Seats: 14
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Logistics
The flight
- Departed from: 573B Offshore Plat. GM at 4:52 pm
- Destination: Block 573A
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 12 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.