- Date
- July 2, 1982, 17:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Big Piney, WY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N49532Aerospatiale SA 315B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 2, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820702028239A
- Case key
- 69947
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.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he felt a shudder while he was taking off with a long line attached. He began a descent, and when the helicopter was about 5 ft above the ground, the long line caught a tree. Subsequently, the helicopter pitched nose down and the rotor blades struck the snow. The accident site was located in a mountainous saddle at an elevation of about 10,200 ft. the wind was gusting to 20 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N49532
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA 315B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2500
- Airframe hours
- 2,737
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARTOUSTE IIIB, 600 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 133
- Operator
- Hosking Exploration Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Hosking Exploration Helicopter
- Departed
- Big Piney, WY
- Destination
- Big Piney, WY
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 326 in this make and model · 7,000 as pilot in command · 118 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 140 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N49532 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.