Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Lafayette Regional Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Gulf Of Mexico, -- 00000
Thursday, October 6, 2005 16:45 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The 7,498-hour commercial pilot was assumed to have departed an unmanned offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico with two passengers onboard destined for a private heliport in Louisiana. When the pilot failed to make his required 30-minute position reports, a search was initiated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). No distress calls were ever reported from the pilot and no debris was ever located. The USCG ceased search and rescue efforts 4 days after the reported disappearance of the helicopter; however, the operator continued to fly over the coastlines of Texas and Louisiana in search of washed-up debris and issued an All-Notification to vessels operating in the Gulf of Mexico. At the time of this report, the helicopter is still missing.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Undetermined. The aircraft is missing.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 10/6/2005 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1645 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Gulf of Mexico |
| Event State | -- |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 00000 |
| Event Date Year | 2005 |
| Event Date Month | 10 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | Lafayette Regional Airport |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | LFT |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 160 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 42 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1653 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 355 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | KLFT |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 42 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 160 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 32 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 17 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 20 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 11 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.8 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 20739 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA COMM Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Oct 7 2005 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 28 2006 9:08AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\johb |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N6560K |
| NTSB Number | DFW06FAMS1 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | Y |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | -- |
| Aircraft Explosion | -- |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Bell |
| Aircraft Model | 206-L3 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 51426 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 4150 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 7 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | -- |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | -- |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Industrial Helicopters Inc. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | PO Box 90210 |
| Aircraft Owner City | Lafayette |
| Aircraft Owner State | LA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 70509 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Industrial Helicopters Inc. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | PO BOX 90210 |
| Operator City | Lafayette |
| Operator State | LA |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 70509 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Non-scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | -- |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | -- |
| Departure City | Vermillion 408 |
| Departure State | -- |
| Departure Country | -- |
| Departure Time | 1645 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | -- |
| Destination City | Scott |
| Destination State | LA |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Unknown |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 28 2006 10:51AM |
| User who most recently changed record | CASH |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |