Lost Fire Repeater Mission Helicopter Accident Fatality 1988

On August 19, 1988, an Aerospatiale SA315B (Lama) supporting the Lost Fire transported a Helitack Crewmember, two Communications Technicians, and cargo to the repeater site in the Cloud Peak Wilderness, Bighorn National Forest. While flying reconnaissance for a proper landing site at 10,000 feet MSL and 100 feet above the terrain, the helicopter began to spin violently to the left. The pilot was unable to control the rotation and the helicopter began to descend toward the rocks below. The helicopter descended 400 feet rapidly and rotated four to six times before the tail rotor guard struck the rocks. The helicopter continued to rotate another 90 degrees before impacting on an easterly heading at a nearly level and upright orientation with considerable forward velocity. The dynamic forces generated by the weight of the passenger in the left front seat, Merrin Rodgers, on impact caused his seat belt to fail. This seat belt failed on the outboard side of the left front seat at approximately six inches from the attachment point. The failed seat belt released Rodgers from the restraint system. He was subsequently thrown from the helicopter feet first and was propelled into the rotating main rotor blades and was fatally injured. The other occupants of the helicopter survived but sustained injuries. The cause of the accident was determined to be a failure due to a fatigue crack in the shaft assembly, causing a loss of tail rotor power. The Rodgers's seatbelt also failed in the accident.