Aerospatiale SA315B accident near Big Piney, Wyoming, April 20, 1982
On April 20, 1982 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA315B (helicopter), registered N9007N, was destroyed in an accident near Big Piney, 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
- April 20, 1982 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Big Piney, Wyoming
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA315B · all SA315Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9007N · registry record · serial 2542
- 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 ACFT WAS ENGAGED IN SEISMIC ACTIVITY SUPPLYING EXPLOSIVES BY LONG LINE. THE ENG FAILED AT ABOUT 400-500 FT AGL. THE LOAD WAS RELEASED & AN OPEN FIELD WAS SELECTED. AT ABOUT 150 FT AGL THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM & THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION. THE ENG TEARDOWN INDICATED A FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE #4 BLADE ON THE AXIAL COMPRESSOR ASSEMBLY. FATIGUE CRACK DEVELOPOMENTOCCURRED ACROSS APPROXIMATELY 2/3 OF THE PLATFORM AREA BEFORE FINAL SEPARATION OCCURRED. THE BLADE SEPARATION CAUSED SEVERE INTERNAL DAMAGE WITHIN THE COMPRESSOR ASSEMBLY INCLUDING EXTREME AXIAL WHEEL DAMAGE, DESTRUCTIONOF THE AXIAL COMPRESSOR DIFFUSER & BEARING 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: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,850 hours in all; 2,725 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 7,475 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,065 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,900 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARTOUSTE 111B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°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.
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.