Aerospatiale AS-350B1 accident near Galveston, Texas, July 13, 1994
On July 13, 1994 at about 1:38 pm local time, a Aerospatiale AS-350B1 (helicopter), registered N350WM, was destroyed in an accident near Galveston, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE TORQUING OF THE LEFT LATERAL SERVO BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, WHICH ALLOWED IT TO BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM THE CONTROLS, LEADING TO AN IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1994 · about 1:38 pm local time
- Place
- Galveston, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS-350B1 · all AS-350B1s on the register
- Registration
- N350WM · registry record · serial 2099
- 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 PILOT REPORTED THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS CLIMBING THROUGH '...2,000 FEET WHEN A BUMP SIMILAR TO TURBULENCE WAS FELT. ANOTHER BUMP WAS FELT, FOLLOWED BY A MORE PRONOUNCED BUMP, THEN AIRCRAFT CONTROL WAS LOST.' HE ADDED THAT THE CYCLIC AND COLLECTIVE WERE UNRESPONSIVE. THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED THE WATER IN THE GULF OF MEXICO APRX 11 MILES OFFSHORE. ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS, EXCEPT THE VERTICAL FIN AND TAILROTOR GEARBOX, WERE RECOVERED. DURING A RECONSTRUCTION OF THE HELICOPTER, THE LEFT LATERAL SERVO ROD END WAS FOUND DISCONNECTED FROM THE SERVO EXTENSION. THE THREADS ON THE ROD END WERE INTACT AND APPEARED UNDAMAGED; HOWEVER, ONLY REMNANTS OF THE MATING INTERNAL THREADS IN THE SERVO EXTENSION REMAINED. ALMOST THE ENTIRE THREAD PROFILE WAS WORN AWAY LEAVING ONLY THE THREADED AREA THAT HAD BEEN LOCATED WITHIN THE KEYWAY SLOT OF THE ROD END. THE ZER0-TIME SERVO HAD BEEN INSTALLED 416 FLIGHT-HRS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE LEFT LATERAL SERVO, WHICH IS CONNECTED BY A PUSH ROD TO THE CONTROLS AT THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD, CHANGES THE ATTITUDE OF THE HELICOPTER BY CHANGING THE ANGLE OF ATTACK OF 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,076 hours in all; 876 in this make and model; 188 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 7,056 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,704 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 16, 1994; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,850 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 1D (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sea-Link Helicopters, INC
The flight
- Destination: Oil Tanker GM
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from GLS, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.