Aerospatiale SE 3180 accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, October 28, 1983
On October 28, 1983 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SE 3180 (helicopter), registered N544, was destroyed in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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
- October 28, 1983 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SE 3180
- Registration
- N544 · no longer on the register · serial 1328
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER CRASHED DURING A LANDING ON THE CREST OF A MOUNTAIN. THE FRENCH HELICOPTER UNLIKE AMERICAN HELICOPTERS HAS A MAIN ROTOR THAT ROTATES CLOCKWISE. TO COMPENSATE FOR INCREASED TORQUE THE PLT MUST USE RIGHT PEDAL INSTEAD OF LEFTPEDAL. THE PLT IN THIS ACCIDENT HAD MANY HOURS IN AMERICAN HELICOPTERS AND LESS THAN 100 HOURS IN THE FRENCH TYPE. ALL OCCUPANTS OF THE ACFT AGREED ON THE RAPID COUNTER-CLOCKWISE SPINNING OF THE ACFT PRIOR TO GROUND CONTACT.
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: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 75 in this make and model; 153 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,230 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 12, 1983; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ASTAZOU II (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Grantsville UT at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.