Aerospatiale SA316B accident near Near Brideport, California, March 22, 1982
On March 22, 1982 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA316B (helicopter), registered N9829C, was destroyed in an accident near Near Brideport, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries. 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
- March 22, 1982 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Near Brideport, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA316B
- Registration
- N9829C · no longer on the register · serial 1242
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKING OFF IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA, THE PILOT BEGAN CLIMBING IN UP-CURRENTS ON THE SIDE OF A CANYON. WHILE FOLLOWING A RIDGE AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL (11,000 FT MSL), HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY A SHUDDER AND VIBRATIONS. THE HELICOPTER BEGAN DESCENDING RAPIDLY. THE PILOT TURNED TOWARD THE RIDGE AND THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED IN A SNOWFIELD. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE OIL FILTER COVER OF THE GEAR BOX HAD SEPARATED. A TAPERED PIN WHICH WAS USED TO SECURE THE COVER HAD SHEARED FROM OVERLOAD. A DISASSEMBLY OF THE MAIN TRANSMISSION REVEALED THAT THE LOWER PLANETARY GEAR HAD FAILED FROM OIL STARVATION. ONLY 20 MM OF OIL WAS FOUND IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TRANSMISSION CASE.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,092 hours in all; 241 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,253 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomecca ARTOUSTE IIIB (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mammoth Heli-Ski Tioyabe CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: Private Helipor CA at 9:45 am
- Destination: Victoria Peak CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:42 am from MTH, 41 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 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.