Aerospatiale SA315B accident near Craig, Colorado, September 14, 1985
On September 14, 1985 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA315B (helicopter), registered N3836E, was destroyed in an accident near Craig, Colorado. It was an other work-use flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 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
- September 14, 1985 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Craig, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA315B · all SA315Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3836E · no longer on the register · serial 2571
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS LONG-LINING A 1280-POUND AIR COMPRESSOR TO AN 8500-FOOT MSL MOUNTAIN DRILLING SITE. WITNESSES HEARD A SQUEALING SOUND AND BANG. THEY OBSERVED GRAY-WHITE SMOKE AND ORANGE-BLUE FLAME EMITTING FROM THE EXHAUST. THE PLT RELEASED THE LOAD AND ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A FORCED LANDING IN A NEARBY CLEARING. THE HELICOPTER COLLIDED WITH TREES AND CRASHED. DISASSEMBLY OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT ALL SIX SCREWS IN THE DIFFUSER LABYRINTH SEAL WERE LOOSE. ONE SCREW HAD BACKED OUT AHD HAD SCORED THE BACK OF THE CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR. THE SCREW HAD ROTATED 180 DEGREES AND WAS BENT OPPOSITE THE COMPRESSOR'S DIRECTION OF ROTATION. THE HOLE WAS ELONGATED.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,183 hours in all; 7,463 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,751 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 3, 1985; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,040 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARTOUSTE IIIB (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Craig CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from CAG, 18 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.