Bell 47G-3B-L accident near Kaycee, Wyoming, August 8, 1982
On August 8, 1982 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Bell 47G-3B-L (helicopter), registered N8529F, was destroyed in an accident near Kaycee, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 8, 1982 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kaycee, Wyoming
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-3B-L · all 47G-3B-Ls on the register
- Registration
- N8529F · no longer on the register · serial 3386
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS HAVING COOLING FAN PROBLEMS, SOME BLADES HAD BROKEN. HE LANDED IN A CANYON STAYED OVERNIGHT TO COOL ENGINE AND PLANNED TO FLY TO TOP OF THE CANYON TO GET REPAIRS. AFTER TAKEOFF, THE HELICOPTER HAD CLIMBED ALMOST LEVEL WITH THE TOP OF THE CANYON WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING, THE HELICOPTER HIT THE TOPS OF 3 TREES, THEN CRASHED ON ITS TOP. AN EXAMINATION OF THE COOLING FAN REVEALED THAT IT WAS WORN, HAD REWORKED PARTS, CONTAINED INCORRECT PARTS, AND 13 FATIQUE CRACKS WERE FOUND IN THE FAN.
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: 7,800 hours in all; 3,050 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,079 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,860 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TVO-435 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Outlaw Canyon WY at 8:00 am
- Destination: Outlaw Canyon WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 140°F (60°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.