Bell Helicopter Textron 47G3B1 accident near Buena Vista, Colorado, August 4, 1982
On August 4, 1982 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Bell Helicopter Textron 47G3B1, registered N23DW, was destroyed in an accident near Buena Vista, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1982 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Buena Vista, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron 47G3B1 · all 47G3B1s on the register
- Registration
- N23DW · no longer on the register · serial 641786L
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO TRACK WILD SHEEP WITH TRANSMITTERS ATTACHED TO THEIR NECKS. WHILE MANEUVERING AT APPROXIMATELY 14,000 FEET ELEVATION AND EXECUTING A RIGHT TURN THE AIRCRAFT FELT "RUBBERY." HE APPLIED LEFT CYCLIC BUT THE LEFT SKID HIT A LARGE ROCK OUTCROPPING. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATELY 16,000 FEET AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT A WEIGHT OF 2421 LBS. THIS COMBINATION REACHES THE LIMITS OF PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY FOR THE AIRCRAFT.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 195 in the last 90 days; 13,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,737 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TVO-435-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Salida CO at 9:00 am
- Destination: Salida CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 108°F (42°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:45 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.