Aerospatiale SA315B LAMA accident near Mountain View, Wyoming, September 17, 1984
On September 17, 1984 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA315B LAMA (helicopter), registered N49532, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mountain View, 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 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
- September 17, 1984 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Mountain View, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA315B LAMA SA315B LAM · all SA315B LAMAs on the register
- Registration
- N49532 · no longer on the register · serial 2500
- 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 HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER DURING AN EXTERNAL LOAD OPERATION. THE PLT RELEASED THE LOAD AND PERFORMED AN AUTOROTATION. A HARD LANDING RESULTED DURING WHICH THE TAIL BOOM WAS SEVERED BY THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE COMPRESSOR SECTION REVEALED THE REAR 1/3 OF THE #3 COMPRESSOR BLADE SEPARATED FROM THE ASS'Y BY A TRANSVERSE FRACTURE THROUGH THE PLATFORM AND AIRFOIL. THE #5 ATTACHMENT PIN SEPARATED APRX 1/4 INCH FROM ITS AFT SURFACE. THE FRACTURE OCCURRED DUE TO A COMBINATION OF STRESS CORROSION CRACKING, FATIGUE PROGRESSION AND BENDING OVERSTRESS.
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: 11,800 hours in all; 250 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,165 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 15, 1984; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,900 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARTOUSTE IIIB (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°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.
Other NTSB records under N49532 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.