Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II crash near 28 miles off Cabinda, Cabinda, Angola

The LongRanger was departing an offshore oil platform for the company base at Cabinda when the pilot heard a loud bang from the engine on initial take-off. The helicopter descended rapidly, struck the water hard without the emergency floats deployed, rolled over and sank. The 18,200-hour pilot and one passenger were seriously injured; a second passenger was killed. The wreckage was located by side-scan sonar within eight hours.