- Date
- February 20, 2020, 16:10 local (Feb 21, 2020, 01:10 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N716JLRobinson R44
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20200220000359A
- Case key
- 100974
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from snow covered terrain during an en route descent in flat light conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was conducting a passenger flight from a high elevation mountain heliport to the company's base airport. While the passengers were loading at the heliport, the weather deteriorated to 2 statute miles visibility in light snow and the ceiling was about 1000 ft. After the takeoff, the pilot was descending over a glacier and the helicopter unexpectedly skipped on the snow-covered surface of the glacier and it settled into deep snow. The helicopter subsequently rolled onto the right side and the main rotor blades, main rotor transmission and tail boom sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N716JL
- Reported as
- Robinson R44 (II)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 10463
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 2,728
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540 AE1A5, 245 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Talkeetna Air Taxi Inc
- Registered owner
- Talkeetna Air Taxi Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 5, 2020
- Departed
- 09AA · Talkeetna, AK
- Destination
- PATK · Talkeetna, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 09AA · Sheldon Chalet
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 14,650 total · 475 in this make and model · 14,500 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 28.81 inHg
- Observed at
- PAEC, 27 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 10, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.