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DEN86LA016

1985-11-01 · VERNAL, Utah, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport VEL

N400AH has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (AIRBUS HELICOPTERS EC 130 T2, built 2016), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PLT STATED HE HAD JUST DEPARTED A SITE LOCATED ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 12,200 FT MSL. THE PILOT SAID 30 SECONDS LATER, THE HELICOPTER LOST PARTIAL POWER. REQUIRING HIM TO MAKE A FORCE LANDING. THE INSPECTION OF THE TURBOCHARGER REVEALED THE COMPRESSOR IMPELLER RETAINING NUT HAD BACKED OFF, ALLOWING THE COMPRESSOR IMPELLER TO CONTACT THE COMPRESSOR SHROUD AND LEADING TO THE SEIZURE OF THE IMPELLER. THIS RESULTED IN THE FAILURE OF THE TURBOCHARGER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1985_DEN86LA016.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.