MBB BO-105 N2906T
21 June 1996 · Sabine Pass, Texas, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 21 June 1996 at about 12:50 local time, a MBB BO-105 registered N2906T, operated by Air Logistics Inc., was involved in an accident near Sabine Pass, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 12:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sabine Pass, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 29.9595, -93.8895
- Aircraft
- MBB BO-105
- Registration
- N2906T
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Air Logistics Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → High Island 553
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW96FA265
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The failure of the sun gear within the main transmission resulting in the main rotor system not being driven.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The twin engine helicopter was en route to an oil platform located 90 miles south of Sabine Pass, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico. The pilot called company dispatch and reported off Sabine at 0711 with 2.5 hours of fuel on board. The company's flight following radio log shows that the pilot made a normal position report at 0729 and reported that he was 67 miles from destination. The pilot transmitted another normal position report at 0744 and reported that he was 38 miles from destination. No other radio transmissions were received from the aircraft. According to the chief pilot, the altitude at which the helicopter would have been cruising at would most likely have been between 500 and 1,000 feet AGL. No abnormalities were discovered with the engines during detailed examinations. Tear down of the main transmission revealed that the sun gear had failed, thus resulting in the main rotor system not being driven. Structural deformations of the airframe revealed that the helicopter impacted the water vertically in a high rate of descent.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other MBB BO-105 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct 1996 | MBB BO-105 CBS-4 | Cameron, Louisiana, United States | ERA, Gulf Coast Division | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Feb 1996 | MBB BO-105 | Gulf of Mexico | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 9 Aug 1992 | MBB BO-105 | Madison, South Dakota, United States | Rocky Mountain Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 1992 | MBB BO-105 | Peach Springs, Arizona, United States | US Dept of Interior | Unknown | - |
| 25 Jul 1991 | MBB BO-105 | Mercury, Nevada, United States | DOE | Unknown | - |
| 10 Feb 1991 | MBB BO-105-CBS-4 | Valdez, Alaska, United States | Heli-Lift, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1996 | Cessna T210L | Lonestar, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jan 1996 | Piper PA-28-160 | Decatur, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Jan 1996 | Piper PA-38-112 | Port Mansfield, Texas, United States | Flight Training Systems, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jan 1996 | Beechcraft 35-A33 | Houston, Texas, United States | Ray's Flying Service | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 1996 | Cessna T210N | Beaumont, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jan 1996 | Schweizer 269C | San Ygnacio, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |