# Accident 20110923023089A: Bell 206B, Seward, AK, September 23, 2011

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 23, 2011, 11:15 local time
- Place: Seward, AK
- Airport: Seward
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: P3TA
- Location: 60.0706° N, 149.9533° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=60.0706&lon=-149.9533&mi=10
- Aircraft: N204PA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N204PA-2022-03-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell 206-L4 (registry code 1182110, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206-l4) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Allison 250-C30 series (registry code 03015, https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c30-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ALLISON 250 SER 400HP
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,820 total, 350 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC11TA110](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC11TA110) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110923023089A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS TRYING TO REACH HIS NEXT LANDING SITE ON THE GLACIER AND AT FIRST HE COULD SEE UNDER THE OVERCAST.  AS HE PROGRESSED OUT OVER THE GLACIER THE VISIBILITY KEPT GETTING MUCH WORSE AND HE SLOWED THE HELICOPTER TO 20KTS AND 100' OF ALTITUDE.  HELICOPTER FLEW INTO THE SURFACE OF THE GLACIER(CFIT)  BECAUSE HELO WAS LOWER THAN THE 100 FEET THE PILOT THOUGHT IT  WAS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ANC11TA110](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC11TA110), Sep 23, 2011: Bell 206 B3 (N204PA), Seward, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from snow-covered terrain during hover in deteriorating weather and flat light conditions, which resulted in a tail rotor strike.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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