Helio H-295 accident near Old Minto, Alaska, January 26, 2012
On January 26, 2012 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Helio H-295, registered N713C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Old Minto, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to land on unsuitable terrain, which resulted in the airplane nosing over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 2012 · about 4:00 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Old Minto, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Helio H-295 · all H-295s on the register
- Registration
- N713C · registry record · serial 1438
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing the ski-equipped airplane on a snow-covered lake when the left ski encountered a snow drift, and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
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 with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Snow/slush/ice covered › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,300 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 3, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,310 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 20, 2011; 58 hours since
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wright Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: Old Minto AK
- Destination: PAFA Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: -24°F (-31°C), dew point -31°F (-35°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from PANN, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on April 6, 2012. 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 N713C 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
- N713C on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Helio H-295 54 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Helio 120 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480 SERIES 246 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Fairbanks International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N713C 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/ANC12CA020.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.