Bell 212 N5017H
16 July 2002 · Wasilla, Alaska, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 16 July 2002 at about 01:40 local time, a Bell 212 registered N5017H, operated by State of Alaska, was involved in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska, United States. 6 people were on board and nobody was injured. 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 01:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Wasilla, Alaska, United States
- Coordinates
- 61.5981, -149.6597
- Aircraft
- Bell 212
- Registration
- N5017H
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- State of Alaska
- Operating rule
- Public Use
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Wasilla → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ANC02TA077
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing site, and failure to maintain clearance with trees, which resulted in the main rotor blade striking a tree.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot of the public use helicopter was landing a fire fighting crew in a confined, off-airport area near a fire line. During the landing, he unknowingly struck a tree with a main rotor blade, which resulted in substantial damage to the blade. He off-loaded the fire crew, and continued to fly the helicopter for approximately 30 minutes. When he returned to the accident site to recover the fire fighters, they told him that they had discovered a rotor blade strike on a tree. The pilot examined the rotor blades, and found that a main rotor blade had a gash in the skin and internal honeycomb structure.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 212 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Nov 2002 | Bell 212 | Longview, Washington, United States | Weyerhaeuser Co | No injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 2002 | Bell 212 | Ishpingo, Ecuador | Aeromasters Airways | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Jan 2003 | Bell 212 | McMurdo Station, Antarctica | National Science Foundation | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 2001 | Bell 212 | Clear, Alaska, United States | State of Alaska, Division of Forestry | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 2000 | Bell 212 | Eugene, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 2000 | Bell 212 | Jackson, Wyoming, United States | Houston Helicopters, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2002 | Piper PA-18 | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | Uriah Strong | No injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2002 | Williamson GLASTAR | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 2002 | Cessna 180 | Tenakee Springs, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 2002 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Bethel, Alaska, United States | Ptarmigan Air | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 2002 | McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Alaska Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jul 2002 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Port Alsworth, Alaska, United States | Minta Inc | Fatal | 4 |