Aerospatiale SA319B accident near Whittier, Alaska, August 21, 2003
On August 21, 2003 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Aerospatiale SA319B (helicopter), registered N319LF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Whittier, 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 encounter with ground resonance during landing, which resulted in an aborted landing and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2003 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Whittier, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale SA319B
- Registration
- N319LF · no longer on the register · serial 2138
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot reported he was attempting to land a wheel/ski equipped helicopter on a metal landing grid. He said the helicopter began to vibrate in ground resonance as soon as the landing gear touched the grid, and he immediately lifted the helicopter into a low hover. The vibrations increased, and he attempted to move the helicopter away from the landing grid. He indicated he was unable to control the helicopter due to the main rotor system's severe vibrations. The helicopter's main rotor blades subsequently struck a tower about 30 feet from the grid, resulting in the helicopter striking the ground and rolling inverted. The pilot said there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the helicopter. The helicopter sustained structural damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and all rotor blades.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,300 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 11,200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 6, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,402 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 30, 2003; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,960 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Astazou X15F (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Last Frontier Air Ventures LTD
The flight
- Departed from: PAQ Palmer AK at 1:00 pm
- Destination: Whittier AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
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.