Sikorsky S76 accident near Gulf of Mexico, TX
On September 6, 2005, a Sikorsky S76 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Gulf of Mexico, TX. 5 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 6, 2005
- Place
- Gulf of Mexico, TX
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S76 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 5 serious, 7 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 31.054°N, 97.563°W
- NTSB ID
- 20051128X01894
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 6, 2005, about 1605 central daylight time (all times referenced in this report are central daylight time), the flight crew of a Sikorsky S-76A helicopter, N90421, registered to and operated by Houston Helicopters, Inc. (HHI), executed a forced landing into the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico about 24 miles southeast of Sabine Pass, Texas, after a loss of power to both engines. Both pilots and all 10 passengers were able to evacuate the helicopter before it submerged. All occupants wore personal flotation devices (PFD) to keep them afloat during the 7.5 hours that passed before they were rescued. (HHI's Operation Specifications [OpsSpec] require that crewmembers and passengers wear PFDs during flight.) Seven of the passengers sustained minor injuries, and three of the passengers and the captain and first officer sustained serious injuries. The on-demand air taxi flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The captain and first officer arrived at HHI's hangar in Pearland, Texas, about 0600 to begin duty. The pilots' first flight of the day departed about 0645. The accident flight was the 14th in a series of flights between various offshore oil rigs to provide scheduled crew changes for the Rowan Drilling Company. (At the time of the accident, the captain and first officer had been on duty for more than 10 hours and had completed 13 landings.) According to the accident pilots, the flight to the Bob Keller oil rig (the departur
Probable cause
The pilots' delayed response to the No. 1 engine fire warning and the loss of power to both engines, which occurred for undetermined reasons. The pilots' delayed response was most likely due to stress and fatigue. Contributing to the delay of the initiation of search and rescue operations were the pilots' incomplete "mayday" call, the pilots' and Houston Helicopter, Inc.'s (HHI's) noncompliance wi
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Browse: Texas · Sikorsky aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
