Helio H-250 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, May 20, 2006
On May 20, 2006 at about 2:30 am local time, a Helio H-250, registered N6324V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Little Su Lodge airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper use of the carburetor heat control during takeoff, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power, a hard landing, and an on ground encounter with terrain. A factor contributing to the accident was an inadvertent ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 2006 · about 2:30 am local time · cases in 2006
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Little Su Lodge · 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
- N6324V · registry record · serial 2538
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was departing a grass surface runway on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight. The runway was about 3,000 feet long, and about 150 feet wide. The pilot said that during the takeoff run, the engine did not seem to be producing full power. The airplane lifted off to about 10 feet above ground level, but the pilot decided to abort the takeoff and pulled the throttle to idle. The airplane landed hard and began to veer to the left. The pilot said the airplane ground looped to the left, departed off the left side of the runway, and collided with alder bushes. The airplane received structural damage to the right main landing gear, and the left wing and left aileron. The pilot reported that the airplane engine did not have any mechanical malfunction. He said that after the accident, he discovered that the carburetor heat control was in the "on" position.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Anchorage AK at 9:30 pm
- Destination: PAMR Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N6324V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6324V on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Helio H-250 11 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Helio 120 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 5,245 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Merrill Field · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,144 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N6324V 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC06LA072.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.