Aerospatiale SA316B N981CF
10 August 1994 · Stateline, Nevada, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 10 August 1994 at about 04:37 local time, a Aerospatiale SA316B registered N981CF was involved in an accident near Stateline, Nevada, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 04:37
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Stateline, Nevada, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.9605, -119.8997
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA316B
- Registration
- N981CF
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Reno → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX94LA311
People
3 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Probable cause
the failure of the pilot to maintain the proper rate of descent during the vertical descent into the landing zone, which resulted in a hard landing. Factors in the accident were high density altitude and dark night light conditions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE HELICOPTER WAS EN ROUTE TO PICK UP AN AUTO ACCIDENT VICTIM. THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT MADE A LANDING ZONE IN A PARKING LOT AND MARKED IT WITH ROAD FLARES. THE PARKING LOT IS ABOUT 7,200 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL). THE PILOT TERMINATED THE APPROACH ABOUT 200 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE, AND DESCENDED VERTICALLY. A RAPID RATE OF DESCENT DEVELOPED, WHICH THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO ARREST, AND THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS COMPUTED AT 9,500 FEET ABOVE MSL.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aerospatiale SA316B accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 1993 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Snyder, Texas, United States | Geo-Seis Helicopters, Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1993 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Aspen, Colorado, United States | Sea Pacific, Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 28 Oct 1997 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Counselor, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Aug 1998 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Porterville, California, United States | U.s. Dept. of the Interior | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1990 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Meeteetse, Wyoming, United States | Rocky Mountain Helicopter | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 1990 | Aerospatiale SA316B | Vernal, Utah, United States | Avman Aviation Helicopter SVC | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Sep 1994 | North American SNJ-5 | Reno, Nevada, United States | Same AS Registered Owner | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Sep 1994 | Cessna 182Q | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Stanley A. Lawless | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 May 1994 | Bell 206B | Overton, Nevada, United States | US Army Corps of Engineers | Unknown | - |
| 26 Jun 1994 | Bell 206-B3 | Indian Springs, Nevada, United States | United States Air Force | Unknown | - |
| 1 Nov 1994 | Cessna 421A | Sparks, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 1994 | Siai-Marchetti SF260C | North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |