Mbb BO-105 accident near Sabine Pass, Texas, June 21, 1996
On June 21, 1996 at about 12:50 pm local time, a Mbb BO-105 (helicopter), registered N2906T, was destroyed in an accident near Sabine Pass, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the sun gear within the main transmission resulting in the main rotor system not being driven.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1996 · about 12:50 pm local time
- Place
- Sabine Pass, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mbb BO-105
- Registration
- N2906T · no longer on the register · serial S-573
- 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 twin engine helicopter was en route to an oil platform located 90 miles south of Sabine Pass, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico. The pilot called company dispatch and reported off Sabine at 0711 with 2.5 hours of fuel on board. The company's flight following radio log shows that the pilot made a normal position report at 0729 and reported that he was 67 miles from destination. The pilot transmitted another normal position report at 0744 and reported that he was 38 miles from destination. No other radio transmissions were received from the aircraft. According to the chief pilot, the altitude at which the helicopter would have been cruising at would most likely have been between 500 and 1,000 feet AGL. No abnormalities were discovered with the engines during detailed examinations. Tear down of the main transmission revealed that the sun gear had failed, thus resulting in the main rotor system not being driven. Structural deformations of the airframe revealed that the helicopter impacted the water vertically in a high rate of descent.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,459 hours in all; 664 in this make and model; 296 in the last 90 days; 95 in the last 30 days; 18,692 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,596 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 16, 1996; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,512 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Logistics INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 95XS TX at 1:11 pm
- Destination: NONE High Island 553 GM
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 181°F (83°C), dew point 165°F (74°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:30 pm from H08, 10 miles away
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.