Sud Aviation SA 318C accident near Near Savoonga, Alaska, April 15, 1982
On April 15, 1982 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Sud Aviation SA 318C (helicopter), registered N9367, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Savoonga, Alaska. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 1982 · about 10:15 pm local time · cases in 1982
- Place
- Near Savoonga, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Sud Aviation SA 318C · all SA 318Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9367 · no longer on the register · serial 2168
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 0746 LCL TIME, THE PLT ACTIVATED HIS VFR FLT PLAN FOR A ROUND ROBIN FLT FROM NOME, AK TO SAVOONGA, NE CAPE, SAVOONGA, SE CAPE, SAVOONGA & BACK TO NOME. AFTER ARRIVING AT SAVOONGA, THE HELICOPTER WAS REFUELED. ACCORDING TO SVRL VILLAGERS, THE WX AT THAT TIME WAS POOR, VIS 1 TO 2 MI WITH BLOWING SNOW, WIND FROM THE NORTH AT 25, GSTG 30 KTS. BFR DEPARTING, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE SUITABILITY OF THE WX, BUT THE PLT WAS CONVINCED HE COULD COMPLETE THE MISSION. AFTER DEPARTING, THE PLT WAS FLWG THE SHORELINE WHEN THE VIS BGN DECREASING. THE SURVIVING PAX RPRTD THAT THE PLT REVERSED COURSE, BUT THE VIS CONTD TO DECREASE TIL HE (THE PAX) COULD NOT SEE THE GND. HE RPRTD THAT THE PLT BGN MANIPULATING THE CONTROLS IN AN UNUSUAL MANNER & THE HELICOPTER BGN MVG LEFT & RIGHT, UP & DOWN AND ALL AROUND, THEN CRASHED. THERE WERE INDICATIONS THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED WHILE MVG REARWARD & TO THE RIGHT. ESTIMATE 285 LBS OVR THEMAX GROSS WT LMT. SRCH NOT INITIATED TIL 12 HR FLT PLAN EXPIRED, FOUND NXT MORNING, ELT SIGNAL. HYPOTHERMIA, FROST BITE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,618 hours in all; 295 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 2,454 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ASTAZOU IIA (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Savoonga AK at 1:00 pm
- Destination: Nome AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 25 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9367: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Sud Aviation SA 318 5 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Sud Aviation 13 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Turbomeca ASTAZOU IIA · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC82FA035.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.