- Date
- June 16, 1988, 16:00 local (Jun 17, 1988, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mekoryuk, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N9076DRobinson R22HP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19880616047089A
- Case key
- 5091
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot-in-command was herding reindeer for a native corporation and he and his passenger had to relieve themselves so they landed on the tundra and left the helicopter's engine and rotors operating. As they were exiting the helicopter, it shifted on the tundra and the tailboom was forced upward into the main rotor system causing substantial damage to the tailboom, tailrotor, and main rotor system.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9076D
- Reported as
- Robinson R22HP
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0255
- Airframe hours
- 1,348
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Donald C. Olson
- Registered owner
- William Munz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Nunivak Island, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 35
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 6,500 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.