Bell 206B accident near Haines, Alaska, May 5, 2000
On May 5, 2000 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N49686, was substantially damaged in an accident near Haines, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain a proper touchdown point.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2000 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Haines, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N49686 · no longer on the register · serial 1905
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated commercial helicopter pilot was landing on an elevated landing platform. After landing, as the throttle was retarded to the flight idle position, the helicopter began to shake violently, and tip backwards. The pilot opened the throttle in an attempt to restore rotor rpm, but the helicopter continued to tip backwards, and the tail rotor blades struck the ground. The helicopter sustained substantial to the tail rotor gearbox assembly, and vertical fin. According to a FAA operations inspector, the pilot stated to him that after she had an opportunity to think about the events surrounding the accident, she felt that she had landed the helicopter with the rear skid cross-tube over the aft edge of the elevated platform.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,046 hours in all; 962 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,934 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,246 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 21, 2000; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNU Juneau AK at 4:25 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft; scat at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N49686 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.