Eurocopter AS350 B-2 accident near Cody, Wyoming, August 12, 2001
On August 12, 2001 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Eurocopter AS350 B-2 (helicopter), registered CFBTW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cody, Wyoming. It was an other work-use flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning for an off site landing, which resulted in failure of the tail rotor drive shaft due to entanglement of his long-line in the drive shaft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2001 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cody, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS350 B-2 · all AS350 B-2s on the register
- Registration
- CFBTW · no longer on the register · serial 3289
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing an off-site landing with a long-line. The line became entangled in brush, and subsequenmtly, the line became entangled in the tail rotor drive shaft. The tail rotor drive shaft failed, and the pilot performed an autorotation impacting equipment on the ground. During the landing sequence, the tail boom and horizontal stabilizer were bent, and the bottom of the helicopter's fuselage was penetrated.
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: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,061 hours in all; 1,601 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 10,500 as pilot in command; 650 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 19, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 558.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 10, 2001; 8.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Aerial 1D1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Cody WY at 8:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 8:35 pm from COD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.