Kaman HH-43F accident near Sutherlin, Oregon, February 22, 1982
On February 22, 1982 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Kaman HH-43F (helicopter), registered N4524, was destroyed in an accident near Sutherlin, Oregon. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- February 22, 1982 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Sutherlin, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Kaman HH-43F
- Registration
- N4524 · registry record · serial 62-4524
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING USED ON A LOGGING OPERATION. AFTER RELEASING A LOAD FROM A HOVER OUT OF GROUND EFFECT, THE PILOT BEGAN TO TURN AND ACCELERATE. ABOUT TWO-THIRDS TO THREE-FOURTHS OF THE WAY THROUGH A 180 DEGREE TURN, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN A SUDDEN, VERY VIOLENT, RAPID VIBRATION. THE PILOT RECALLED BEING THRASHED ABOUT WHILE THE HELICOPTER ROLLED TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE RIGHT ROTOR BLADES HAD FAILED. A 9.5 FT SECTION OF THE OUTBOARD LEADING EDGE ALONG WITH APPROXIMATELY A 3.5 FT PIECE OF THE BLADE TIP HAD SEPARATED. THEY WERE FOUND ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE BLADE REVEALED THAT THE STAINLESS STEEL CONDUCTOR STRIP, PN K711583-11, HAD BEEN PULLED LOOSE FROM THE BOLT WHICH HELD IT ON THE TOP SIDE OF THE BLADE. THE BOTTOM BOLT HOLE WAS ELONGATED AND THE BOTTOM OF THE STRIP WAS STRETCHED. THE PAINT SHOWED WHIP MARKS RADIATING OUT FROM THE INBOARD ATTACH POINT. A NEARBY TREE HAD NO EVIDENCE OF ROTOR CONTACT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,378 hours in all; 2,564 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 6,054 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,899 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T-53-L-11-D (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Sutherlin OR at 10:09 am
- Destination: Sutherlin OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 117°F (47°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.