Bell 206-LIII N94TA
1 August 1997 · Wasilla, Alaska, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 1 August 1997 at about 23:35 local time, a Bell 206-LIII registered N94TA was involved in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and one 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 23:35
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Wasilla, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-LIII
- Registration
- N94TA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Big Lake → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC97LA115
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent dynamic rollover during liftoff. Factors associated with the accident were soft terrain and a snagged landing gear skid.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was receiving an evaluation flight from a U.S. Department of Interior, Office of Aircraft Services, helicopter specialist. The intent of the flight was to certify the pilot to fly future government contracted flights. The helicopter pilot performed several maneuvers during the evaluation, and then landed on the shore of a small lake to re-hook an external bucket to the bottom of the helicopter. The terrain was level, but was in an area of soft marshy type tundra. The helicopter was equipped with full length flat skis attached to the bottom of the landing gear skid tubes. These tundra skis help prevent the helicopter skid tubes from sinking into soft terrain. After the external bucket's cable was attached to the helicopter, the pilot began to lift the helicopter into a hover. During the liftoff, the left skid tube remained stuck to the ground. The helicopter then rolled onto its left side and received damage to the fuselage and rotor system.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 1997 | Bell 206-B2 | Sutton, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 1997 | Bell 206B | New Iberia, Louisiana, United States | American Aviation, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 May 1997 | Bell 206L-1 | Orlando, Florida, United States | Air Orlando Helicopter, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 1997 | Bell 206L-1 | Amelia, Louisiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Nov 1997 | Bell 206B | Forest Grove, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 1997 | Bell 206B | Intracoastl Cty, Louisiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-32-300 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Oct 1997 | Cessna 208B | Kasigluk, Alaska, United States | Peninsula Airways Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-22-160 | Sterling, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Cessna 182B | Palmer, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-20 | Naknek, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-12 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |