American Eurocopter AS350 B3 accident near Nikiski, Alaska, April 21, 2006
On April 21, 2006 at about 9:06 am local time, a American Eurocopter AS350 B3 (helicopter), registered N911AA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nikiski, Alaska. It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from terrain during an aborted takeoff in whiteout conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain. A factor associated with the accident was whiteout conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2006 · about 9:06 am local time
- Place
- Nikiski, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Eurocopter AS350 B3
- Registration
- N911AA · registry record · serial 3611
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport certificated pilot was transporting an Alaska State Trooper, and a rescue volunteer with their equipment, to a remote lodge to search for a missing person. The flight was conducted during dark night conditions, and the pilot was using night vision goggles (NVG) to help discern topographical features on the snow-covered terrain. After an uneventful outbound flight to the lodge, the pilot landed the helicopter on a frozen lake adjacent to the lodge. During an hour-long search of the lodge and surrounding outbuildings, snow fell, with a light accumulation on the frozen lake where the accident helicopter was parked. Unable to locate the missing person, the search team boarded the helicopter for the return flight, and the pilot donned his NVGs. Just after takeoff, as the helicopter transitioned from a hover to forward flight, blowing snow from the helicopter's main rotor momentarily reduced the pilot's visibility, and he lost all visual reference with the surface of the frozen lake. While he was attempting to regain a visual reference, the helicopter's tail rotor guard and vertical stabilizer struck the surface of the lake, and he elected to abort the takeoff. The helicopter's skids subsequently struck the surface of the ice, and the helicopter bounced several times before stopping. A postaccident inspection revealed substantial damage to the helicopter's vertical stabilizer, tail boom assembly, and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the helicopter, and that he had not received any formal training in the use of NVG's.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 950 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 8,715 as pilot in command; 1,150 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 967.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 2006; 29.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca Arriel 2B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Nikiski AK at 4:06 am
- Destination: Soldotna AK
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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 N911AA 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.