- Date
- June 23, 1990, 23:30 local (Jun 24, 1990, 07:30 UTC)
- Place
- Dutch Harbor, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8495EBell B-47G2A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Case key
- 5387
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 in commands continued VFR flight into IMC conditions and his failure to maintain altitude while manuevering to avoid terrain.
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 received a weather briefing which recommended against VFR flight. He departed for his destination and activated his flight plan. The flight service station with which he activated his flight plan closed prior to N8495E reaching its destination, but the flight information was passed on to king salmon flight service station. The air traffic specialist at king salmon failed to 'suspense' the flight information on N8495E. This resulted in the lack of any overdue aircraft report or search and rescue. Meanwhile, N8495E was operating in the vicinity of the Dutch Harbor airport while in heavy fog. The pilot-in-command saw a cliff appear in front of the helicopter and he veered away and another cliff appear and as he veered away again the helicopter struck the water and sank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8495E
- Reported as
- Bell B-47G2A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- L-2596-31
- Airframe hours
- 3,961
- Engine
- Lycoming O-435A1E, 240 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- James Gilmore
- Registered owner
- Alaska Antler Products Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 20, 1990 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- 26AK · Cold Bay, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 30
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,200 total · 25 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DUT, 2 nm away
Other investigations on N8495E · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.