- Date
- September 14, 1985, 09:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Craig, CO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3836EAerospatiale SA315B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850914044849A
- Case key
- 16559
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 was long-lining a 1280-pound air compressor to an 8500-foot MSL mountain drilling site. Witnesses heard a squealing sound and bang. They observed gray-white smoke and orange-blue flame emitting from the exhaust. The plt released the load and attempted to make a forced landing in a nearby clearing. The helicopter collided with trees and crashed. Disassembly of the eng revealed that all six screws in the diffuser labyrinth seal were loose. One screw had backed out ahd had scored the back of the centrifugal compressor. The screw had rotated 180 degrees and was bent opposite the compressor's direction of rotation. The hole was elongated.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3836E
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale SA315B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2571
- Airframe hours
- 2,751
- Engine
- Turbomeca ARTOUSTE IIIB, 850 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Operator
- Ron & Penny Livingston, doing business as Four Corners Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Eagle Gills Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 3, 1985 · 26 hours before
- Departed
- Craig, 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
- 38
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 8,183 total · 7,463 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CAG, 18 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.