Mbb BO-105 accident near Gulf Of Mexico, February 10, 1996
On February 10, 1996 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Mbb BO-105 (helicopter), registered N126EH, was destroyed in an accident near Gulf Of Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the ocean for unknown reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1996 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Mbb BO-105
- Registration
- N126EH · no longer on the register · serial S-567
- 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 departed from an offshore platform at Main Pass (MP) 265, in the Gulf of Mexico, en route to another platform at Mobile Bay (MB) 990, 44 miles to the northwest. The helicopter failed to arrive at its planned destination and the aircraft was reported missing at 0930. A search was initiated that continued for 6 days without success. The aircraft was found 18 days later when a shrimp boat entangled the wreckage in its shrimp net, six miles southwest of the destination. Weather at the departure point was reported by an observer to be clear with fog 3 to 4 miles west of the platform. Weather at the destination was reported to be intermittently obscured by fog. Flight control continuity was confirmed and showed no evidence of pre-existing problems. Both engines were examined by NTSB at the manufacturer's facility. No premishap discrepancies were observed. Deformation signatures throughout the structure and dynamic components of the helicopter showed evidence that the aircraft impacted the water with a high rate of airspeed, near level pitch attitude, and slightly right skid down.
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: 11,288 hours in all; 5,731 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 11,060 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,497 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 6, 1996; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,512 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Main Pass 265 GM
- Destination: Mobile Bay 990 GM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.