Aerospatiale SA-319B accident near Escalante, Utah, December 14, 2005
On December 14, 2005 at about 9:57 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA-319B (helicopter), registered N3194K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Escalante, Utah. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. 2 people were seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate remedial action when ground resonance was encountered during landing. Contributing factors were the rough/uneven terrain and company inadequate maintenance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 2005 · about 9:57 pm local time
- Place
- Escalante, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA-319B
- Registration
- N3194K · no longer on the register · serial 2025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was manufactured in France for the French Army Air Force. Thirty years later, it was imported to California and given a Certificate of Airworthiness in the normal category by the Anchorage, Alaska, FAA FSDO. The helicopter was flying under contract for the Bureau of Land Management (Public Use) in southern Utah in support of an eradication of feral cattle program. The pilot said that he touched down on a sloping rock outcrop when the helicopter began to oscillate. The pilot pulled up on the collective and the aircraft "suddenly self-destructed." Five of the occupants exited the helicopter under their own power, however, one had been struck by a rotor blade and remained buckled in his seat unconscious. The ground resonance event separated the transmission/rotor system, the engine from the fuselage, and one main rotor blade impacted the cabin. The pilot said that he had experienced at least two incipient ground resonance events with this helicopter during the previous 18 months. During a post-accident examination, numerous maintenance discrepancies were identified, including: improper tire inflations, improper main landing gear hydraulic shock strut pressures, and differential functioning of the main rotor blade drag dampers. The manufacturer's representative said that all of these items have narrow operational tolerances if ground resonance events are to be avoided. Additionally, the landing surface was a "bowl shaped" rock formation with the right main landing wheel up sloped approximately 5 degrees and the nose wheel 3-5 inches nose low.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,117 hours in all; 747 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 3,100 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,258 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 1, 2005; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,950 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Astazou XIV-B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PGA Page AZ at 9:20 pm
- Destination: NONE Escalante UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from PGA, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.