Aerospatiale SA 316B accident near Crafton, Pennsylvania, July 5, 1982
On July 5, 1982 at about 3:35 am local time, a Aerospatiale SA 316B (helicopter), registered N8259, was substantially damaged in an accident near Crafton, Pennsylvania. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- July 5, 1982 · about 3:35 am local time
- Place
- Crafton, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA 316B
- Registration
- N8259 · no longer on the register · serial 1771
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND FELT A VIBRATION EMANATING FROM THE REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT. IMMEDIATELY, THE NOSE YAWED TO THE LEFT AND THE ENGINE FAILED. THE PILOT ENTERED AUTORATION AND MADE A HARD LANDING. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE AFT BEARING SUPPORT HAD TWO BOLTS MISSING AND THE THIRD BOLT WAS SHEARED BUT STILL IN THE MOUNT HOLE. THIS ALLOWED THE AFT TURBINE SECTION TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE TURBINE HOUSING. EXAMINATION OF THE FIRST STAGE AXIAL COMPRESSOR REVEALED BLADE NUMBER 4 TO HAVE A PIECE MISSING FROM THE ROOT SECTION. FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE WAS EVIDENT ON OTHER BLADES EXAMINED.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,396 hours in all; 735 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 5,984 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,551 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
- Operator: Rocky Mt Helicopter INC
The flight
- Departed from: Crafton PA at 10:28 pm
- Destination: Crafton PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.