Helio H-295 accident near Kaktovic, Alaska, May 16, 2009
On May 16, 2009 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Helio H-295, registered N295SC, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Kaktovic, Alaska. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane after an in-flight encounter with a downdraft while landing in mountainous terrain, and her decision to fly at an altitude where such an encounter made a successful recovery unlikely.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 2009 · about 8:50 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Kaktovic, Alaska · 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
- N295SC · no longer on the register · serial 1461
- 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 a Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 passenger flight, and was landing on a snow-covered glacier surrounded by mountains. During the approach to the glacier, the pilot said she encountered a strong downdraft as the airplane passed a ridge line. The airplane descended below her anticipated approach path, and she initiated a go-around, but the airplane continued to descend, and landed hard, about 200 feet short of the intended touchdown point. During touchdown, the airplane’s right main landing gear axle broke, which pivoted the airplane to the right. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left side of the fuselage. In the pilot’s written statement to the NTSB, she reported that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. She indicated that the surface wind on the glacier itself was light and variable, in contrast to the downdraft she encountered. She said that during subsequent approaches to the same site, she has altered her landing approaches to minimize the exposure to downdrafts, and increased the approach altitude, which would allow for a go-around if required.
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
- Other weather encounter during approach
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Climb capability › Capability exceeded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 1,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 29, 2008; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480-G1D6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 11:30 am
- Destination: Kaktovic AK
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on March 29, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N295SC 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
- N295SC: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Helio H-295 54 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Helio 120 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480-G1D6 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Fairbanks International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N295SC 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/ANC09LA047.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.