- Date
- August 22, 2025, 12:42 local (20:42 UTC)
- Place
- Juneau, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N149THEurocopter AS 350 B2
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Tailstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250822010559A
- Case key
- 200840
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 obstacle clearance during takeoff from uneven, snow-covered terrain in flat light conditions.
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, while departing from a remote, snow-covered, glacier camp, which required a hovering backwards departure from a helipad site, the helicopter’s vertical stabilizer struck a snow berm, resulting in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and tail boom assembly. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot noted that flat light conditions made it difficult to discern the height of the helicopter over the uneven, snow-covered terrain immediately surrounding the helipad site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N149TH
- Reported as
- Eurocopter AS 350 B2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 9071
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 7,666.6
- Engine
- Turbomecca Aeriel 1D1, 732 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Temsco Helicopters Inc
- Registered owner
- Temsco Helicopters Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 1, 2025 · 64.4 hours before
- Departed
- JNU · Juneau, AK
- Destination
- JNU · Juneau, AK
- Airport
- NONE · Glacier
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Satellite tracking device
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
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 21, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,987 total · 373 in this make and model · 1,950 as pilot in command · 197 in the last 90 days · 68 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- AJN, 12 nm away
- METAR
- PAJN 222053Z 00000KT 10SM > BKN075 OVC110 16/11 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP226 T01560106 58004
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 30, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 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.