Bell 205A-1 accident near Cokeville, Wyoming, December 2, 1983
On December 2, 1983 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Bell 205A-1 (helicopter), registered N1084N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cokeville, Wyoming. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- December 2, 1983 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cokeville, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 205A-1 · all 205A-1s on the register
- Registration
- N1084N · no longer on the register · serial 30308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT SNOW HAD BEEN FALLING REGULARILY FOR THE PREVIOUS FEW DAYS BEFORE THE FLT. HE DEPARTED THE STAGING AREA WITH 12 DRILL CREW MEMBERS. AT THAT TIME, THE VISIBILITY WAS 2 TO 3 MI & A CEILING OF 800 TO 1000 FT. THE PLT FLEW 9 OF THE PASSENGERS TO A SEISMIC LINE ON AN 8000 FT RIDGE LINE, THEN FLEW THE OTHER PASSENGERS TO THE VALLEY FLOOR, WHERE THEIR EQUIPMENT WAS LOCATED. DURING ARRIVAL, THERE WAS A 500 FT CEILING, THE VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 1 MI & SNOW WAS FALLING LIGHTLY. WHILE LANDING, THE ROTOR WASH KICKED UP CONSIDERABLE SNOW, BUT THE PLT WAS ABLE TO USE THE DRILL RIGS FOR A VISUAL REFERENCE. HE TOOK OFF AGAIN TO RETURN TO THE STAGING AREA, BUT AFTER FLYING APRX 1/4 MI, THE SNOW SHOWER INCREASED & THE VISIBILITY BEGAN DROPPING. HE DECIDED TO LAND & WAIT FOR THE WX TO IMPROVE. HOWEVER, AS HE APPROACHED THE GROUND, ALL VISUAL REFERENCE WAS LOST DUE TO SNOW KICKED UP FROM THE ROTOR WASH. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER DRIFTED TO THE RIGHT, THE RIGHT SKID DUG INTO THE SNOW & THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER.
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: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,361 hours in all; 5,011 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 5,191 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,172 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 11, 1983; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,500 lb
- Seats: 15
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T5313B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Cokeville WY at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from EVW, 52 miles away
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.