Bell 206L-1 accident near S Marsh Is 7, December 27, 1989
On December 27, 1989 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N3913S, was destroyed in an accident near S Marsh Is 7. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE AND CORRECT A SITUATION INVOLVING LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS, RESULTING IN LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 1989 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- S Marsh Is 7
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N3913S · no longer on the register · serial 45666
- 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 HELICOPTER HAD BEEN LOADED NEAR ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT OF 4150 LBS. THE PLT RPRTD THAT DURING AN APCH TO AN OFFSHORE PLATFORM IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO WIND. AS THE APCH SPEED DROPPED BELOW EFFECTIVE TRANSLATIONAL LIFT, THE PLT NOTED A SHUDDER THAT DID NOT SEEM NORMAL, SO HE INITIATED A GO-AROUND. AS HE APPLIED POWER & PEDAL TO GO AROUND, THE ACFT SPUN TO THE RGT & THE NOSE TUCKED. THE PLT TRIED TO CORRECT THE SITUATION, BUT WAS UNABLE. HE RPRTD THAT JUST BEFORE WATER IMPACT HE LEVELED THE HELICOPTER, DEPLOYED THE EMERG FLOATS & APPLIED FULL COLLECTIVE PITCH. ALSO, HE STATED THE RATE OF SPIN DECREASED AS HE APPLIED COLLECTIVE PITCH. ONE OF THE LEFT FLOATS SEPARATED ON WATER ENTRY & THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER. NO FEEDBACK OR RESTRICTION OF THE CONTROLS WAS NOTED BEFORE IMPACT. A POST-ACDNT EXAM OF THE HELICOPTER DID NOT REVEAL ANY PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION.
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: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,796 hours in all; 4,867 in this make and model; 174 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 6,796 as pilot in command; 45 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,764 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 25, 1989; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Logistics
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Grand Chenier LA at 5:10 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:48 pm from 7R4, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.