Aerospatiale SA-315B accident near Dillon, Montana, June 21, 1982
On June 21, 1982 at about 2:50 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA-315B (helicopter), registered N47271, was destroyed in an accident near Dillon, Montana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 3 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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 21, 1982 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Dillon, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA-315B · all SA-315Bs on the register
- Registration
- N47271 · no longer on the register · serial 2435
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MANEUVERED THE HELICOPTER CLOSE TO THE GROUND TO "SPOOK" AN ANTELOPE. AFTER A SERIES OF TURNS, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON BOTH SKIDS AND CONTINUED FORWARD 246 FT BEFORE STOPPING.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,853 hours in all; 207 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 6,085 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,554 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbo Meca ARTOUSTE IIIB (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hoskings Helicopter, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Dillon MT at 7:45 am
- Destination: Dillon MT
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 140°F (60°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.