- Date
- May 17, 1989, 15:20 local (23:20 UTC)
- Place
- Ketchikan, AK
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N614RMBell 214B-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890517012289A
- Case key
- 41014
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 misjudging clearance from trees during a hover descent.
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
During hover descent to pick up a load of logs while conducting helicopter logging operations, the pilot inadvertently contacted a tree with the tail rotor. The helicopter subsequently collided with terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N614RM
- Reported as
- Bell 214B-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 28019
- Airframe hours
- 10,119
- Engine
- Lycoming T-5508D, 2,950 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 133
- Operator
- Rocky Mountain Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Rocky Mountain Helicopter Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · May 10, 1989 · 28 hours before
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,956 total · 123 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 335° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.