ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 37616
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| Date: | Wednesday 20 August 1997 |
| Time: | 20:10 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 206B JetRanger |
| Owner/operator: | Evergreen Helicopters Alaska |
| Registration: | N18FH |
| MSN: | 2599 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 8232 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison C-20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Dillingham, AK -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Kemuk Mountain, AK |
| (KDLG) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter departed a mountaintop site, in near zero visibility, with clouds, rain and strong winds. The pilot was attempting to hover down the mountain until clear of the clouds. The passenger seated behind the pilot had his arm out the rear window, holding the pilot's door open as the pilot leaned out to see the ground. The front seat passenger disconnected his shoulder harness prior to departure, so he could wipe fog off the inside of the pilot's windshield. The pilot disconnected his shoulder harness so he could lean out to maintain visual sight of the ground. The helicopter did not have a functioning hot air windshield defogger system. It had a cabin heater, which was not used. The helicopter was airborne about five minutes prior to impacting a ridge. None of the survivors saw the surrounding terrain until just before impact. The pilot was fatally injured, the front seat passenger was seriously injured, and the two rear seat passengers sustained minor injuries. The takeoff site was equipped with a survival shelter, heater, stove and sleeping bags. The passengers would not be reimbursed by their employer for lodging if they stayed in the shelter. They would be reimbursed for hotel accommodations if they flew to town.
Probable Cause: The pilot's intentional VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Factors associated with the accident are the pilot's failure to activate the cabin heating system, the lack of an operable windshield defogger, the pilot's overconfidence in his ability, pressure induced by the passengers to initiate the flight, and pressure induced by the FAA upon their employees.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ANC97GA126
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Apr-2024 13:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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