Eurocopter AS350 accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, March 31, 2013
On March 31, 2013 at about 7:20 am local time, a Eurocopter AS350 (helicopter), registered N911AA, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Talkeetna, Alaska. It was a public-use flight (state) under public-use (government) rules. 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to continue flight under visual flight rules into deteriorating weather conditions, which resulted in the pilot's spatial disorientation and loss of control. Also causal was the Alaska Department of Public Safety's punitive culture and inadequate safety management, which prevented the organization from identifying and correcting latent deficiencies in risk management and pilot training. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's exceptionally high motivation to complete search and rescue missions, which increased his risk tolerance and adversely affected his decision-making.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 2013 · about 7:20 am local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Talkeetna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS350 · all AS350s on the register
- Registration
- N911AA · registry record · serial 3611
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight (state) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/aviation.aspx. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-14/03. On March 30, 2013, at 2320 Alaska daylight time, a Eurocopter AS350 B3 helicopter, N911AA, impacted terrain while maneuvering during a search and rescue (SAR) flight near Talkeetna, Alaska. The airline transport pilot, an Alaska state trooper serving as a flight observer for the pilot, and a stranded snowmobiler who had requested rescue were killed, and the helicopter was destroyed by impact and postcrash fire. The helicopter was registered to and operated by the Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) as a public aircraft operations flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed in the area at the time of the accident. The flight originated at 2313 from a frozen pond near the snowmobiler's rescue location and was destined for an off-airport location about 16 mi south.
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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Obscuration › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Organizational issues › Management › Culture › Safety › Other government
- cause Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of operation › Other government
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Motivation/respond to pressure › Pilot
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Training › (general) › Operator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Safety programs › (general) › Operator
- Organizational issues › Management › Resources › Adequacy of documents/info › FAA/Regulator
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Flt operations/dispatcher
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,693 hours in all; 3,350 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 18, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,518 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 17, 2013
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Arriel 2B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: State of Alaska
The flight
- Departed from: Talkeetna AK at 2:13 am
- Destination: Talkeetna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Observation at 2:14 am from PATK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
117 documents, released by the NTSB on February 3, 2014. 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.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N911AA 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
- N911AA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Airbus Helicopters AS350 AStar (Écureuil), now H125 893 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Airbus Helicopters 267 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Arriel 2B · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N911AA 2 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/ANC13GA036.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.