Aerospatiale SA 315B accident near White Sulphur S, Montana, June 16, 1982
On June 16, 1982 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA 315B (helicopter), registered N5785V, was destroyed in an accident near White Sulphur S, Montana. 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
- June 16, 1982 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- White Sulphur S, Montana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA 315B · all SA 315Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5785V · no longer on the register · serial 5875
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LANDED BESIDE A SMALL BUILDING (CALLED A DOG HOUSE) WHICH CONTAINED SEISMIC INSTRUMENTS AND RECORDING EQUIPMENT. HE WAS SCHEDULED TO MOVE THE BUILDING AND HOOKED A LONG LINE FROM IT TO THE HELICOPTER. AFTER WAITING ABOUT 45 MINUTES FOR FINAL INSTRUCTIONS, HE RECEIVED A CALL TO LOOK FOR A POWDER BAG THAT WAS LOST. THE PILOT FORGOT THAT THE LONG LINE WAS ATTACHED TO THE SMALL BUILDING AND TOOK OFF. AFTER REACHING THE END OF THE LONG LINE, THE HELICOPTER WAS JERKED TO THE GROUND AND CRASHED. A MEMBER OF THE SEISMIC CREW WAS IN THE BUILDING AND RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 244 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARTOUSE IIIB (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Heli INC.
The flight
- Departed from: White Sulphur S MT at 1:59 pm
- Destination: White Sulphur S MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 163°F (73°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5785V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.