Sikorsky S-58J accident near Siletz, Oregon, April 6, 1982
On April 6, 1982 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Sikorsky S-58J (helicopter), registered N47246, was destroyed in an accident near Siletz, Oregon. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). No one was hurt; 2 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
- April 6, 1982 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Siletz, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-58J · all S-58Js on the register
- Registration
- N47246 · no longer on the register · serial 58-960
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LIFT-OFF WITH A 3000 POUND EXTERNAL SLING LOAD, A "POP" WAS HEARD FOLLOWED BY LOW-LEVEL VIBRATION. ROTOR RPM DECAYED AND AN AUTOROTATION WAS EFFECTED TO A FORCED LANDING IN A REVINE. POSTCRASH INSPECTION REVEALED A FAILURE OF THE ENGINE DRIVE "SHORT SHAFT".
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,521 hours in all; 2,016 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 111 in the last 30 days; 8,521 as pilot in command; 1,069 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,929 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 13,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6 T-3 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pacific Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Siletz OR at 9:30 am
- Destination: Siletz OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.