Sud Aviation SA 318C accident near Near Yakutat, Alaska, May 20, 1983
On May 20, 1983 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Sud Aviation SA 318C (helicopter), registered N67099, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Yakutat, Alaska (Yalutat airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 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 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 1983 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Near Yakutat, Alaska · Yalutat · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sud Aviation SA 318C · all SA 318Cs on the register
- Registration
- N67099 · registry record · serial 2263
- 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 PLT WAS ON A FLT TO DELIVER 3 PASSENGERS & CARGO TO A RIDGE NEAR THE UPPER PART OF A GLACIER. THE ALTITUDE WAS APRX 5200 FT MSL. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE WX WAS 6000 FT SCATTERED, VISIBILITY 20 MI, WIND FROM THE EAST AT 5 KTS. ACCORDING TO HIM, HE ENCOUNTERED A WHITE-OUT CONDITION AS THE HELICOPTER WAS ABOUT TO TOUCH DOWN DURING THE LANDING. THE RIGHT FLOAT, THEN THE MAIN ROTOR, STRUCK THE SNOW COVERED SURFACE & THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER. THE HELICOPTER WAS SHUT DOWN & ALL OCCUPANTS EVACUATED WITH NO INJURIES. THEY REMAINED AT THE SCENE WITH SURVIVAL GEAR UNTIL RESCUED THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE RESCUE WAS DELAYED BY WX.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 9,340 hours in all; 1,034 in this make and model; 126 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 8,919 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,360 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 25, 1983; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ASTAZOU IIA (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N67099 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Sud Aviation SA 318 5 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Sud Aviation 13 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Turbomeca ASTAZOU IIA · as the NTSB recorded it
- Yakutat Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,930 since 1982 · 824 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,146 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA83FAD02.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.