- Date
- February 7, 1990, 15:13 local (19:13 UTC)
- Place
- Wrangell, AK
- Injuries
- 6 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- CGNMJBell 205A-1
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 10, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 17817
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 continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain control of the aircraft due to spatial disorientation. Factors related to the accident were: company induced pressure to make the flight, the pilot's decision to initiate flight into known adverse weather conditions, his lack of instrument experience, his overconfidence in his personal abilities, and the adverse weather conditions.
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 helicopter, c-gnmj, crashed on a frzn river as miners were being transported from the johnny mountain gold mine (near the U.S./canadian border) to Wrangell, AK. The plt could not recall the accident & the surviving passenger (pax) refused to be interviewed. Another helicopter was en route from Wrangell to the mine site at the same time. The plt of the other helicopter made 2 attempts to penetrate the back side of the snow squall & failed. After reversing course to rtrn to Wrangell, that plt sighted the wreckage of c-gnmj. Passengers who had flown to Wrangell aboard c-gnmj on a previous trip said they had encountered snow squalls & whiteout conditions. At one point, one of the pax believed the helicopter was in a hover. He said it then came out of the squall in a steep bank. A former employee rprtd that company officials pressured the plts to complete their flts, in spite of marginal wx conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- CGNMJ
- Reported as
- Bell 205A-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 30264
- Airframe hours
- 7,160
- Engine
- Lycoming T5313B, 1,250 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Northern Mountain Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Northern Mountain Helic. Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 11, 1990 · 91 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Johnny Mountain
- Destination
- WRG · Wrangell, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 26
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 120 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft