Aerospatiale SA-316B N8655
13 March 1984 · Story, Wyoming, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 13 March 1984 at about 15:13 local time, a Aerospatiale SA-316B registered N8655, operated by Hawkins & Powers Aviation Inc, was involved in an accident near Story, Wyoming, United States. 6 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 15:13
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Story, Wyoming, United States
- Coordinates
- 44.5709, -106.9305
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA-316B
- Registration
- N8655
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Hawkins & Powers Aviation Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sheridan → Story
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN84FA106
People
3 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
ON THE DAY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE PLT NOTED THAT THE FUEL GAGE INDICATED 30 TO 35 GAL REMAINING. HE ADDED 40 GAL & MADE A FLT OF ABOUT 15 MIN. ON THE NEXT DAY, HE NOTED THAT THE GAGE INDICATED ABOUT 40 GAL OF FUEL REMAINING. THE REPORTED FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS APRX 1 GAL/MIN. HE TOOK OFF WITHOUT REFUELING; HOWEVER, ABOUT 18 MIN LATER, THE LOW FUEL WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, & SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ENG FLAMED OUT FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE PLT MADE AN AUTOROTATION, BUT THE HELICOPTER WAS DAMAGED DURING THE LANDING ON SNOW COVERED, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. AN EXAM OF THE FLOAT TYPE FUEL QUANTITY GAGE REVEALED THAT IT WAS CORRODED. DUE TO THE CORROSION, THE FLOAT WOULD NOT FREELY MOVE UP & DOWN IN ITS HOUSING. THE LOW FUEL WARNING LIGHT WAS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE FUEL QUANTITY TRANSMITTER & SHOULD HAVE ILLUMINATED WHEN THE FUEL LEVEL DROPPED TO 60 LITRES (15.85 U.S. GAL). THE CRASH SITE WAS LOCATED ON WOODED TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF 6480 FT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale SA-316B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Jul 1982 | Aerospatiale SA 316B | Crafton, Pennsylvania, United States | Rocky Mt Helicopter Inc | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 1982 | Aerospatiale SA-316B | Dardanelle, California, United States | Continental Helicopters, Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 6 Jan 1982 | Aerospatiale SA-316B | Mammoth Lakes, California, United States | Roberts Aircraft Company | No injuries | - |
| 28 Nov 1991 | Aerospatiale SA 316B | Bridgeport, California, United States | Rocky Mountain Helicopters | Fatal | 4 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 1984 | Piper PA-12 | Jackson, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 May 1984 | Cessna 150L | Evanston, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 May 1984 | Cessna 172M | Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States | Chemaire Corp | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 1984 | Cessna 172 | Thermopolis, Wyoming, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 1984 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Alcova, Wyoming, United States | Evergreen Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 1984 | Cessna 150M | Afton, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |