Bell 206-B3 accident near Sabine Pass, Texas, February 6, 1999
On February 6, 1999, a Bell 206-B3 (helicopter), registered N907CA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sabine Pass, Texas (None airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and subsequent spatial disorientation. Factors were the dark night conditions, the fog, and the pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing prior to the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 1999
- Place
- Sabine Pass, Texas · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-B3 · all 206-B3s on the register
- Registration
- N907CA · no longer on the register · serial 4130
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated helicopter pilot lost control of the helicopter on final approach after inadvertently entering a fog bank at night. The pilot became disoriented, and the helicopter impacted the water near Sabine Pass, Texas. The pilot stated that he called a coworker located in Angleton and was told the 'weather was flyable.' The pilot flew the helicopter from Sabine Pass, Texas, to Angleton, where it underwent 1.5 hours of routine maintenance work. The pilot did not get a weather briefing prior to the return flight to Sabine Pass.
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; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,455 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 168 in the last 90 days; 81 in the last 30 days; 2,050 as pilot in command; 830 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,058 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 29, 1999; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250C-20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBX Angleton TX
- Destination: NONE Sabine Pass TX
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:16 am from GLS, 55 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.