# Accident 20230904010442A: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4, King Salmon, AK, September 4, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 4, 2023, 16:15 local time
- Place: King Salmon, AK
- Airport: King Salmon
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Collision: Midair collision
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: ENRA
- Location: 58.9454° N, 155.5625° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=58.9454&lon=-155.5625&mi=10
- Aircraft: N193AL, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N193AL) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4 (registry code 1181455, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-helicopter-textron-canada-206l-4) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C30P (registry code 54013, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-250-c30p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA 206L-4
- Reported engine: ROLLS-ROYC 250-C30P
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,274 total, 1,251 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC23LA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC23LA071) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230904010442A

## Narrative

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

HELICOPTER DEPARTED PAKN AT 3:55P ON A COURSE OF 065* TOWARD PAHO WITH CURRENT ATIS INFO (IT WAS THE FIRST CLEAR SKY VFR DAY IN SEVERAL DAYS). ROTOR WING PILOT (RWP), UPON EXITING CLASS D AIRSPACE, REQUESTED FREQUENCY CHANGE WITH PAKN, TO 122.9, CONTINUED ON COURSE AT ABOUT 1000’ AGL, 100 KIAS WITH SLIGHT TAILWIND. RWP HEARD BROKEN CALLS ON RADIO, DID NOT RECOGNIZE LOCATIONS GIVEN, DID NOT SEE ANY AIRCRAFT ON ADS-B SUPPORTED SCREENS/DEVICES, DID NOT MAKE HIS OWN POSITION REPORT. ABOUT 30-35 MIN INTO FLIGHT (SAME FLIGHT CONFIG), COLLISION OCCURRED (LOUD CRASH, FOLLOWED BY SOUNDS OF PARTS FLYING THROUGH AIR). HELICOPTER CHASIS STARTED SPINNING; RWP DETERMINED THERE WAS NO PEDAL CONTROL, USED CYCLIC INPUT TO STOP HELICOPTER FROM ROLLING, REDUCED THROTTLE TO SLOW SPINNING AND REGAIN VISUAL ACUITY AND REFERENCE TO GROUND, PULLED COLLECTIVE AT TREE LEVEL TO CUSION LANDING.

DHC-2 BEAVER DEPARTED SCENIC VIEWING SITE WITH 2 GUIDES AND 4 GUESTS ON A NORTHERLY COURSE TOWARDS BASE LODGE. FIXED WING PILOT (FWP) MADE RADIO CALLS ON 122.9 USING LOCAL LANDMARKS AND HEARD CALLS OF OTHER LOCAL PILOTS IN RETURN. 15 MINUTES INTO FLIGHT, FWP MADE CALL “...SOUTH END OF AMERICAN RIVER AT 800 FT, FLYING UPRIVER.” JUST OVER 4 NM UPRIVER, FWP READIED FOR CLIMB AND SLIGHT TURN TO RIGHT. FRONT RIGHT PAX W HEADSET SAID, “(FWP), HELICOPTER LEFT.” MID-AIR COLLISION OCCURRED. FWP TURNED PLANE LEFT 180* TO FLY BACK TO LAKE DOWNRIVER TO MAKE EMERGENCY LANDING AFTER “MAYDAY” RADIO CALL. REPORTED MID-AIR COLLISION WITH HELICOPTER AND GAVE LOCATION. PLANE WAS FLYING ROUGH; FWP DETERMINED THAT IMPACTED FLOAT WAS OKAY TO MAKE WATER LANDING.

REAR LEFT PAX (RLP) AND REAR RIGHT PAX (RRP), EACH WITHOUT HEADSET, SAW HELI AT DISTANCE OF 200-300 YDS OFF LEFT WING, SAME ALTITUDE (SLIGHLY LOWER, SLIGHTLY BEHIND AT FIRST), 15-30 SEC BEFORE IMPACT, ON A NEAR PARALLEL BUT CONVERGING PATH. BOTH LOOKED TO COCKPIT BUT DID NOT SEE INDICATION THAT FWP RECOGNIZED HELI OFF TO LEFT. HELI FLYING FASTER THAN PLANE, CONVERGING MORE QUICKLY AS TIME PASSED.

FRONT RIGHT PAX (FRP), LOOKING ACROSS FWP OUT LEFT WINDOW, SAW HELI ONLY A FEW SECONDS BEFORE IMPACT, FIRST AT 9:30-10:00 POSITION, THEN ABOUT 11:00 POSITION AT IMPACT.

FWP NEVER SAW HELI; RWP NEVER SAW BEAVER.

PLANE HAD 2 0F 3 PROP BLADES DAMAGED; ENGINE COWLING PEPPERED DINGS; FRONT LEFT FLOAT HAD ABOUT 6” HOLE, SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE, PIECE OF HELI TAIL ROTOR INSIDE FLOAT HULL.

HELI MISSING ENTIRE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX, BLADES, AND VERTICAL FIN DUE TO COLLISION. ADDITIONAL SEVERE HULL, TAIL BOOM, MAIN ROTOR DAMAGE UPON LANDING.

FWP STARTED WORK DAY AT 7A, 2 EARLIER FLIGHTS. AIRCRAFT NOT EQUIPPED W ADS-B.

RWP STARTED FLYING AT 8A, 14TH DAY OF 14 DAY ASSIGNMENT. RETURNED TO PAKN @3PM, ATE SANDWHICH BEFORE DEPARTURE.

## Other aircraft in the event

- N97EL, Dehavilland DHC-2: [Accident 20230904011272A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230904011272A)

## 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 ANC23LA071](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC23LA071), Sep 5, 2023: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4 (N193AL), King Salmon, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The failure of both pilots to see and avoid while en route, which resulted in a midair collision.

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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