Bell B 206B III accident near So. Pass Blk 70, January 19, 1991
On January 19, 1991 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Bell B 206B III (helicopter), registered N2269V, was destroyed in an accident near So. Pass Blk 70. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS SHORTLY AFTER DEPARTURE. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE THE RESTRICTIONS TO VISIBILITY THAT EXISTED AT THE TIME.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 1991 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- So. Pass Blk 70
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell B 206B III
- Registration
- N2269V · registry record · serial 3609
- 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 AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARED ON A REVENUE FLIGHT FROM ONE OFFSHORE PLATFORM TO ANOTHER. THERE WERE NO RADIO CALLS TO INDICATE THAT THE FLIGHT HAD ENCOUNTERED DIFFICULTIES. AN AIR SEARCH FOUND TWO OF THE THREE BODIES AND ASSORTED PIECES OF WRECKAGE ABOUT TWO MILES FROM THE DEPARTURE PLATFORM. NONE OF THE DRIVE TRAIN OR THE INSTRUMENTATION WAS RECOVERED. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD IMPACTED THE WATER AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED IN AN UNCONTROLLED ATTITUDE. HOWEVER, THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF RECOVERED WRECKAGE PRECLUDED A DEFINITE DETERMINATION AS TO THE NATURE OF THE ACCIDENT. THE WEATHER WAS CHARACTERIZED BY INDEFINITE 200 TO 400 FOOT CEILINGS, OBSCURED SKIES, AND 1 TO 1.5 MILES VISIBILITY IN LIGHT RAIN AND FOG WITH A TWO DEGREE TEMP/DEW POINT SPREAD. PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, THE INSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT HAD RELATED TO THE CREW CHIEF THAT IF THE WEATHER BECAME TOO BAD HE WOULD TURN AROUND AND RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE PLATFORM.
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: 2,476 hours in all; 896 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 2,369 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,993 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 22, 1990; 245 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20J (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Petroleum Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Destination: NONE Miss Canyon 194 GM
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.