Aerospatiale SA315B accident near Near Kemmerer, Wyoming, September 15, 1982
On September 15, 1982 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA315B (helicopter), registered N7915, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Kemmerer, Wyoming. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- September 15, 1982 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Near Kemmerer, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA315B · all SA315Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7915 · no longer on the register · serial 2296
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE HOVERING WITH AN EXTERNAL LOAD A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD AND THE HELICOPTER STARTED TO YAW. THE PILOT DROPPED THE EXTERNAL LOAD, PULLED COLLECTIVE, CENTERED CYCLIC AND STARTED DESCENT. THE MAIN ROTORS HIT TREES AND THE AIRCRAFT FELL TO THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AND OTHER COMPONENTS DID NOT REVEAL ANY REASON FOR ENGINE FAILURE.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 5,470 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,575 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,960 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARTOUSTE IIIB (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lake Viva Naugh WY at 12:00 pm
- Destination: Drilling Site WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 129°F (54°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from RKS, 98 miles away
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.