- Date
- September 10, 2020, 15:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N68857Helio H 295
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Dragged wing/rotor/float/other
- 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
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200910017919A
- Case key
- 101966
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 decision to initiate a right turn immediately after departure and his failure to maintain a proper crosswind correction, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Findings · 4
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 during takeoff, in gusty wind conditions, from a remote unimproved airstrip that was located along a river, the takeoff roll was normal. After the airplane became airborne, he initiated a turn to the right, and the right wing dropped suddenly and impacted a “root wad”. The pilot recovered airplane control after the impact and continued the flight back to the base airport without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68857
- Reported as
- Helio H 295 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1463
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 4,310
- Engine
- Lycoming GO-480-G206, 295 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Wright Air Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Wright Air Service, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 5, 2020
- Destination
- PAFA · Fairbanks, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- runway N/A, 500 × 40 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Handheld GPS
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
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 23, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 7,400 total · 800 in this make and model · 7,300 as pilot in command · 280 in the last 90 days · 120 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.37 inHg
- Observed at
- PAFA, 90 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N68857 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.