Kaman K-1200 accident near Emida, Idaho, November 4, 1999
On November 4, 1999 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Kaman K-1200 (helicopter), registered N164KA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Emida, Idaho. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 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
Failure of the splined engine adaptor as a result of torsional overstress. Factors include a worn freewheeling clutch assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 1999 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Emida, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Kaman K-1200
- Registration
- N164KA · no longer on the register · serial 0014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after departure, during the initial climb, the helicopter experienced a sudden loss of power and the pilot initiated a forced landing to a nearby road. Post-accident inspection of the transmission assembly revealed that the splined engine adaptor was fractured due to a torsional overstress imposed on the transmission by the engine. It was determined that the adaptor fracture was secondary to another failure further along in the drive train or transmission. Further examination revealed that the helicopter's freewheeling sprag clutch assembly (located at the drive shaft input to the main transmission) exhibited signs of significant wear to include smearing, non-uniform surface wear and cam deformation. Damage or dragging in this assembly could account for the overstress fracture of the adaptor.
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: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,878 hours in all; 2,518 in this make and model; 305 in the last 90 days; 115 in the last 30 days; 10,651 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,084 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 31, 1999; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T-53-17A1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mountain West Helicopters, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: ID
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PUW, 31 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.