Helio H-250 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, July 7, 2005
On July 7, 2005 at about 2:00 am local time, a Helio H-250, registered N333TB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A fracture failure of the main landing gear leg during the landing roll, which resulted in the collapse of the main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2005 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Helio H-250 · all H-250s on the register
- Registration
- N333TB · registry record · serial 2530
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The first pilot, a certificated flight instructor, was providing flight instruction and recurrent training to the second pilot, a certificated private pilot. The first pilot said that after an uneventful touchdown on the dry and paved asphalt runway, a loud shuddering noise was heard as the second pilot applied the brakes. As the landing roll continued, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the runway. The airplane sustained structural damage to the right wing. A postaccident review of the fractured right main landing gear leg assembly in the fracture zone, disclosed brownish rust-colored deposits that covered about 1/4 of the circumference of the main landing gear tube. The remaining 3/4 circumference of the main landing gear tube had a 45-degree sheer lip, with the fracture surfaces consistent with an overload failure.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,070 hours in all; 41 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,963 as pilot in command; 45 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,245 hours in all; 601 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,186 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,088.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2005; 17.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 8:00 pm
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.48 inHg
- Observation at 8:59 pm from MRI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N333TB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC05LA097.