- Date
- August 4, 1982, 09:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Buena Vista, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N23DWBell Helicopter Textron 47G3B1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 4, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 70074
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
According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to track wild sheep with transmitters attached to their necks. While maneuvering at approximately 14,000 feet elevation and executing a right turn the aircraft felt "rubbery." He applied left cyclic but the left skid hit a large rock outcropping. Investigation revealed that the density altitude was approximately 16,000 feet and the aircraft was at a weight of 2421 lbs. This combination reaches the limits of performance capability for the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23DW
- Reported as
- Bell Helicopter Textron 47G3B1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 641786L
- Airframe hours
- 4,737
- Engine
- Lycoming TVO-435-B1A, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Colorado Division Of Wildlife
- Registered owner
- Colorado Division Of Wildlife
- Departed
- Salida, CO
- Destination
- Salida, CO
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 14,000 total · 170 in this make and model · 13,900 as pilot in command · 195 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 108 °F