Bell 206-L3 accident near Main Pass 225A, August 26, 1999
On August 26, 1999 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Bell 206-L3 (helicopter), registered N6610E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Main Pass 225A. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the helicopter. A factor was the tailwind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 1999 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Main Pass 225A
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-L3 · all 206-L3s on the register
- Registration
- N6610E · no longer on the register · serial 51424
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- 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 lost directional control of the helicopter while attempting to takeoff from an offshore oil platform. The pilot stated that the helicopter was facing downwind as he prepared to takeoff. He advanced the throttle, and about full power, the helicopter began sliding across the platform. He reduced the throttle, and the helicopter stopped for a few seconds, and then started sliding again. The helicopter turned 180 degrees to the left, into the wind, and then contacted the safety area around the perimeter of the helipad. The pilot said he applied throttle and collective to takeoff, but the helicopter began bouncing on the edge of the helipad, and then slid over the edge, and came to rest on the lower deck of the platform. The pilot reported that the wind was from the east-southeast at 25 knots. Postaccident inspection disclosed flight control continuity to the cyclic, collective, and tail rotor systems.
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: helicopter; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,950 hours in all; 848 in this make and model; 139 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 10,540 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,752 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 10, 1999; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C30P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: NONE Boothville LA
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.