Mbb BO 105CB4 accident near Cameron, Louisiana, November 19, 1990
On November 19, 1990 at about 1:33 pm local time, a Mbb BO 105CB4 (helicopter), registered N3536T, was destroyed in an accident near Cameron, Louisiana. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE COMPANY'S MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL'S FAILURE TO INSTALL THE CYCLIC INTERCONNECT TUBE AND THEIR FAILURE TO INSPECT THE HELICOPTER PRIOR TO FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 1990 · about 1:33 pm local time
- Place
- Cameron, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mbb BO 105CB4
- Registration
- N3536T · registry record · serial S-189
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LIFTED THE HELICOPTER OFF THE HELIPAD AND IT WAS OBSERVED TO TURN TO THE RIGHT. IT THEN CLIMBED TO APPROXIMATELY THIRTY FEET AND NOSE SLOWLY DOWNWARD BEFORE IT ROLLED TO THE RIGHT AND DESCENDED UNCONTROLLED TO IMPACT THE TERRAIN AND SEVERAL CARS IN AN ADJACENT PARKING LOT. THE PILOT WAS THROWN FROM THE COCKPIT WHEN HIS SEATBELT FAILED. HE WAS NOT WEARING A SHOULDER HARNESS. POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL HAD NOT INSTALLED THE CYCLIC INTERCONNECT TUBE AFTER THE DUAL CONTROLS WERE REMOVED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,848 hours in all; 2,431 in this make and model; 268 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 5,581 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,057 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 15, 1990; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,512 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Petroleum Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.