- Date
- September 17, 1984, 10:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Mountain View, WY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N49532Aerospatiale SA315B Lama
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840917049409A
- Case key
- 16487
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 helicopter experienced a loss of power during an external load operation. The plt released the load and performed an autorotation. A hard landing resulted during which the tail boom was severed by the main rotor blades. Metallurgical examination of the engine compressor section revealed the rear 1/3 of the #3 compressor blade separated from the ass'y by a transverse fracture through the platform and airfoil. The #5 attachment pin separated aprx 1/4 inch from its aft surface. The fracture occurred due to a combination of stress corrosion cracking, fatigue progression and bending overstress.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N49532
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA315B Lama (SA315B LAM)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2500
- Airframe hours
- 4,165
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARTOUSTE IIIB, 562 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Hosking Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · September 15, 1984 · 6 hours before
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 11,800 total · 250 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 46 °F
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.