Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
Gulf Of Mexico
The 2,258-hour pilot made his approach to an oil platform, so he would be landing to the east; there was little or no wind. After crossing the helipad skirting, he flared to zero out his groundspeed. After the pilot leveled-off the helicopter, he heard a clunk and saw debris flying. There were no vibrations nor any abnormal indications, prior to the tail rotor contact with the helipad's fence/skirting. The helicopter came to rest in the middle of the platform facing south.
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with a stationary object while landing.
On August 17, 2005, at 1008 central daylight time, a Bell 206L single-engine helicopter, N330P, was substantially damaged when the tail rotor contacted the safety fence while landing on the helipad at the Mustang Island 111 offshore oil platform, located in the Gulf of Mexico. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Air Logistics, LLC of New Iberia, Louisiana. The commercial pilot, sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company visual flight rule (VFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The flight originated from a nearby oil platform, at approximately 1005. The 2,258-hour pilot reported that he made his approach to the platform, so he would be landing to the east; there was little or no wind. After crossing the helipad skirting, he flared to "zero out my groundspeed". The pilot added that afterhe leveled out the helicopter, "I heard a clunk and saw debris flying around me". He reported there were no vibrations nor any abnormal indications, prior to the landing. After the pilot performed an emergency engine shutdown, the helicopter came to rest in the middle of the platform facing south. Photographs of the helicopter revealed the vertical fin was completely separated from the tail boom, and both tail rotor blades were sheared-off near the tail rotor.