Airbus AS350 accident near Skagway, AK

On May 7, 2016, an Airbus AS350 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Skagway, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

May 7, 2016

Place

Skagway, AK

Aircraft

Airbus AS350 · Helicopter

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

59.450°N, 135.206°W

NTSB ID

20160507X31120

Official records · ANC16FA023

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Data Recording Devices - Specialst's Factual Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Data Recording Devices - Specialist's Factual Report - Attachment 1: Document (CSV), on ntsb.gov
• Air Traffic Control - Radar Study: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Air Traffic Control - Radar Study - Attachment 1: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• FAA TEMSCO PMI Inteview Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 6, 2016, about 1900 Alaska daylight time, an Airbus (formerly Eurocopter) AS 350 B2 helicopter, N94TH, collided with snow-covered mountainous terrain about 4 miles southeast of Skagway, Alaska, after departing from a remote landing site on the Denver Glacier. The commercial pilot received fatal injuries, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was registered to and operated by TEMSCO Helicopters, Inc., Ketchikan, Alaska, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a visual flight rules (VFR) internal-cargo company flight. Instrument meteorological conditions were reported on the Denver Glacier at the time of the accident, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight originated from a heliport at the operator's headquarters in Skagway about 1840, landed at the remote site for several minutes, and departed for the return flight about 1852. Alaska Icefield Expeditions, Inc., contracted with TEMSCO to provide helicopter support for the movement of personnel, dogs, and cargo. The purpose of the flight was to transport dog camp company personnel (mushers) and dogs (Alaskan Huskies) from the operator's headquarters in Skagway to a remote dog camp on the Denver Glacier in the Tongass National Forest, about 5 miles southeast of Skagway. TEMSCO and Alaska Icefield Expeditions conducted heli-mushing operations for the Alaska tourism industry using a helicopter glacier landing permit issued by the US Forest Service. The pilot was scheduled for seven continuous roundtrip flights (with

Probable cause

The pilot's decision to continue visual flight into an area of instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in the pilot experiencing a loss of visual reference and subsequent controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's self-induced pressure to complete the flight and the operator's failure to maintain operational control over the flight.

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Browse: Alaska · Airbus aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.