Bell 206L-3 incident near Sabine Pass #18, March 5, 1992
On March 5, 1992 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Bell 206L-3 (helicopter), registered N41791, was involved in an incident near Sabine Pass #18. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 1992 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sabine Pass #18
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-3 · all 206L-3s on the register
- Registration
- N41791 · no longer on the register · serial 51465
- 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
THE PILOT HAD LANDED ON AN OIL PLATFORM DUE TO POOR WEATHER WHILE EN ROUTE TO ANOTHER OFFSHORE PLATFORM. ONCE THE WEATHER HAD CLEARED, HE AND THE THREE PASSENGERS REBOARDED THE HELICOPTER. BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE THE PILOT HAD SEVERAL CONVULSIONS AND LOST CONSCIOUSNESS. THE PASSENGERS REMOVED HIM FROM THE COCKPIT AND ADMINISTERED CPR. HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL AND PRONOUNCED DEAD. THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION DUE TO ACUTE CORONARY ARTERY INSUFFICIENCY.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,580 hours in all; 1,179 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 835 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C-30P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Sabine Pass TX at 3:32 pm
- Destination: NONE Hi Blk#116 GM
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 19 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.