S.N.I.A.S. SA-330J accident near Hyannis, Massachusetts, June 23, 1982
On June 23, 1982 at about 3:10 pm local time, a S.N.I.A.S. SA-330J (helicopter), registered N3601U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hyannis, Massachusetts (Barnstable Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 13 people were 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
- June 23, 1982 · about 3:10 pm local time
- Place
- Hyannis, Massachusetts · Barnstable Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 13 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- S.N.I.A.S. SA-330J
- Registration
- N3601U · no longer on the register
- 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 PILOT REPORTED THAT HE TOOK OFF, AND DURING A CLIMB THROUGH ABOUT 800 FT, HE HEARD A LOUD SNAP AND IMMEDIATELY FELT SEVERE LATERAL VIBRATIONS. HE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE INBOARD TRAILING EAR OF THE MAIN ROTOR SLEEVE/SPINDLE ASSEMBLY, PN 330A31-002607, FOR THE BLUE BLADE, HAD FAILED. EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE WAS FOUND OVER MOST OF THE FRACTURE SURFACE AND EVIDENCE OF FRETTING CORROSION WAS FOUND AT THE ORIGIN OF THE FATIGUE. ALSO, AN AREA OF FRETTING CORROSION WAS FOUND ON THE TRAILING SIDE FLANGE OF THE HINGE PIN, ON A SURFACE CLAMPED BY THE TORQUE OF THE HINGE PIN NUT. RECORDS SHOWED THAT THE AEROSPATIALE SERVICE BULLETIN 01.35 HAD BEEN COMPLIED WITH ON 3/30/82, AND THAT THE HINGE PIN HAD BEEN REPLACED ON 4/10/82, ABOUT 100 FLIGHT HOURS BEFORE THE FAILURE. A SPOT CHECK OF THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY REVEALED THAT 2 OUT OF 3 TORQUE WRENCHES WERE OVERDUE A CALIBRATION CHECK. THE THIRD PROVIDED 54 INCH LBS WHEN SET FOR 120.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,469 hours in all; 1,306 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 6,092 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,205 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,900 lb
- Seats: 19
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca IVC (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYA Hyannis MA at 9:00 am
- Destination: HYA Hyannis MA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 145°F (63°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 11 |
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.