Mbb BO 105LS A-3 accident near Huntington Bch, CA
On May 28, 1999, a Mbb BO 105LS A-3 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Huntington Bch, CA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 28, 1999
- Place
- Huntington Bch, CA
- Aircraft
- Mbb BO 105LS A-3 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.719°N, 118.000°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X18798
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 28, 1999, about 0648 hours Pacific daylight time, a Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) BO 105LS A-3 helicopter, N811CE, crashed into the Pacific Ocean approximately 6 miles west-southwest of the Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach, California. The aircraft, operated by Southern California Edison, Ontario, California, was destroyed. The commercial pilot was not recovered and is presumed to have sustained fatal injuries; the two passengers were recovered with the wreckage and suffered fatal injuries in the accident. The flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a corporate flight to transport two Edison employees to Catalina Island. The flight originated at an Edison Service Center helipad near Irvine, California, about 0625 as a non-stop flight to the Pebbly Beach helipad on Catalina Island, which is about 25 miles offshore. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at John Wayne airport, near Irvine, at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); however, company flight following was being provided to the pilot. FAA facility records disclosed that no ATC services or weather briefings were provided to the pilot on the morning of the accident. In both an oral interview and a written statement, the Chief Pilot for the company stated that prior to departure the pilot telephoned the company stations at Rosemead, San Onofre, Irvine, and Westminster for en route weather conditions. The company employee stationed at Catalina Island who was to pickup the passengers said the pilot
Probable cause
The pilot's in-flight loss of control due to spatial disorientation while maneuvering to reverse direction after an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
