- Date
- April 15, 1982, 10:53 local (16:53 UTC)
- Place
- Thayne, WY
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N48089Aerospatiale SA315B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 15, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 72808
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction
Rotor drive system,tail rotor drive shaft - crackedCause
In flight collision with terrain/water
Analysis
The helicopter was hovering to pick up a sling load when a loud bang was heard and the aircraft began to spin counter clockwise. Investigation revealed that the tail rotor drive shaft had broken. "Examination of the shaft break disclosed a small fracture region typical of fatigue cracking."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N48089
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA315B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2397
- Airframe hours
- 3,149
- Engine
- Turbo Meca ARTOUSTE IIIB, 562 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 133
- Operator
- Evergreen Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Evergreen Helicopters, Inc.
- Departed
- Afton, WY
- Destination
- Afton, WY
N48089Registration cancelled Oct 14, 2014 · Aerospatiale SA315BAirframe modelAerospatiale SA315BEngine modelTurbomeca ARTOUSTEIIIB
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,270 total · 500 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles