- Date
- September 15, 1982, 12:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Near Kemmerer, WY
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7915Aerospatiale SA315B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 15, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820915046639A
- Case key
- 71877
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
While hovering with an external load a loud bang was heard and the helicopter started to yaw. The pilot dropped the external load, pulled collective, centered cyclic and started descent. The main rotors hit trees and the aircraft fell to the ground. Examination of the engine and other components did not reveal any reason for engine failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7915
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA315B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2296
- Airframe hours
- 7,575
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARTOUSTE IIIB, 562 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 133
- Operator
- Rocky Mountain Helicopters, In
- Registered owner
- Rocky Mountain Helicopters, In
- Departed
- Lake Viva Naugh, WY
- Destination
- Drilling Site, 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 700 in this make and model · 5,470 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 129 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RKS, 98 nm away
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 N7915 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.