Helio H-295 accident near Healy, Alaska, March 14, 2009
On March 14, 2009, a Helio H-295, registered N6478V, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Healy, Alaska (Stampede airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 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
The pilot's delay in initiating a climb while he was packing snow with the airplane's skis in preparation for landing, resulting in a collision with brush.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 2009
- Place
- Healy, Alaska · Stampede · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Helio H-295 · all H-295s on the register
- Registration
- N6478V · registry record · serial 1431
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was on an on-demand air taxi passenger flight in a ski-equipped airplane. The pilot said that the accident occurred while he was packing snow at the landing site by laying down tracks with the airplane's skis in preparation for landing. During the last pass, he said that as the airplane lifted off the snow, the wings encountered high brush; when he pulled back on the elevator control to clear the brush, he said that he believed that the tail ski contacted the snow and dragged the airplane down into the brush. The pilot said that there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident. The fuselage and empennage sustained structural damage during the encounter with brush and terrain.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision during takeoff/land during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Snowy/icy › Effect on equipment
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Climb rate › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,600 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 11,100 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 13, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,018 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 26, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wright Air Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 6:15 pm
- Destination: Healy AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 33
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: -20°F (-29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ANC09LA023.