Mbb BO-105S accident near Lena, Louisiana, March 14, 1997
On March 14, 1997 at about 7:45 am local time, a Mbb BO-105S (helicopter), registered N7161J, was destroyed in an accident near Lena, Louisiana. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his subsequent loss of aircraft control due to spatial disorientation. Factors were the pilot not following company procedures and directives, the low ceiling, and the dark night light condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 1997 · about 7:45 am local time
- Place
- Lena, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mbb BO-105S
- Registration
- N7161J · registry record · serial S 834
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a dark night flight from Shreveport, Louisiana, to Lafayette, Louisiana, via Alexandria, Louisiana, the helicopter descended to 500 feet MSL due to weather, and was following Interstate 49 south over the northbound lanes. The pilot slowed the helicopter to 70 knots keeping pace with the traffic. The medical crewmember remembered 'feeling a shudder, like the shudder as the helicopter decelerates through effective translational lift.' He heard the pilot say an expletive and felt the helicopter begin to turn left. He saw sparks overhead and felt plexi glass hit him. Subsequently, the helicopter impacted the ground. During this sequence he lost visual orientation of the helicopter's position in relation to the ground. According to the company's Operations Manual, during nighttime hours, the air ambulance cross country VFR minimum ceiling is 1,000 feet and the minimum visibility is 3 miles. Any flight outside the local flying area is considered a cross-country operation. The medical crewmember reported that the ceiling was about 550 to 600 feet, and the visibility was approximately 2 miles. Examination of the helicopter did not reveal any structural or mechanical anomalies.
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: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,179 hours in all; 3,958 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,570 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 21, 1997; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,512 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Petroleum Helicopters, INC
The flight
- Departed from: HLUS Shreveport LA at 7:01 am
- Destination: LFT Lafayette LA
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 550 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW97FA121.