Incident Name: responding to a smoke report on BLM land
Date: August 5, 1986
Personnel: 4 lives lost
Age:
Agency/Organization: BLM helicopter with BLM and contract personnel
Position:
Summary:
Fatalities:
Lee Steingoetter, 32, from Grand Junction, CO
Phillip “Todd” Hamilton from Grand Junction, CO
Harold Siewers from Grand Junction, CO
Jim Daugherty, Pilot, 40, from Grand Junction, CO
On August 5, 1986. Helicopter 203 was dispatched from Montrose, Colorado to check out a reported smoke northeast of Montrose. While flying in the Black Canyon approximately 300 above ground level, they struck an unmarked high tension line and severed the main-rotor mast. The aircraft went out of control and fell 300 feet to the bottom of the canyon, where it caught fire. All four on board were killed instantly on impact with the ground.
Top of Black Canyon of the Gunnison, screen-capture of the National Park Service Webcam, June 24, 2011.
Maps
The accident occurred in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison east of Montrose, CO
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Concise Information from WLF Staff research:
- August 5, 1986 – Helicopter 203
- 4 killed: Lee Steingoetter, Phillip “Todd” Hamilton, Harold Siewers, Jim Daugherty
- BLM helicopter
- Type: Aerospatiale SA315B Lama
- accident occurred in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison east of Montrose, CO
- FAA Registration # N90530
- NTSB # no record; NTSB query page.
- FAA: aircraft deregistration (click continue, then scroll down to the bottom blue section for the notification of deregistration)
- There is a photo plaque at the Grand Junction Air Center and each of the fatalities are listed on a Memorial to Airmen at the Grand Junction Airport.
- USFA Memorial Database: Lee Steingoetter | Phillip “Todd” Hamilton | Harold Siewers | Jim Daugherty
- US Social Security Death Index: James Daugherty | Lee Steingoetter
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Message from Tim following inquiry from Ab:
Jambo Ab,
The 25th anniversary of this will be Aug 5th. Thanks for digging into this to honor the four.
All of the folks that were killed were from Grand Junction, Colorado. Lakewood is where the Colorado BLM State Office is, so that is maybe why Lee’s residence is shown as Lakewood. Todd’s actual first name was Phillip, Todd being his middle name. Phillip “Todd” Hamilton or Phillip Todd Hamilton would be more accurate.
The YouTube video is actually of a different “Black Canyon” below the Hoover Dam. The accident occurred in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison east of Montrose, CO http://www.nps.gov/blca/index.htm
The aircraft was an Aerospatiale SA315B Lama, tail number N90530.
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=90530 (scroll down to the bottom).
I don’t understand why NTSB, does not have it on file, there are earlier accidents I was able to pull up. Must have slipped through the cracks.
This accident would not show up in the USFS accident history because it was a BLM ship with BLM and contract personnel responding to a smoke report on BLM land.
The accident occurred 5 August, 1986. H-203 was dispatched from Montrose, Colorado to check out a smoke northeast of Montrose. While flying in the Black Canyon app. 300 AGL they struck an unmarked high tension line and severed the main-rotor mast. The aircraft went out of control and fell 300 feet to the bottom on the canyon, where it caught fire. All four on board were killed instantly on impact with the ground.
There is a photo plaque at the Grand Junction Air Center and each of the fatalities are listed on a Memorial to Airmen at the Grand Junction Airport. I could probably borrow the photo plaque and scan the photos and/or take some photos of the Memorial. Let me know.
I don’t know of any historical documentation. You might be able to contact Ken Kerr, BLM State FMO, to see if anything is available from the records at the State Office.
Let me know if there is anything else I can do.
Asante, Tim