Helio H 250 accident near Arctic Village, Alaska, September 19, 2014
On September 19, 2014 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Helio H 250, registered N333TB, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Arctic Village, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing/takeoff area, resulting in an inflight collision with terrain during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 2014 · about 4:00 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Arctic Village, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Helio H 250 NO SERIES · all H 250s on the register
- Registration
- N333TB · registry record · serial 2530
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing from a remote, gravel-covered, 800-foot long off-airport site, in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that at the time of the accident the airplane had been loaded at, or near the airplane's maximum gross weight limit. He said that shortly after the airplane became airborne, the tailwheel contacted an area of rising terrain causing the airplane to lose airspeed. The airplane subsequently collided with terrain at the departure end of the site, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Maximum weight › Not specified
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Awareness of condition
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,570 hours in all; 924 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 1,503 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 12, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,370 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 23, 2014
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1B5 (piston); 2,596 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Arctic Village AK
- Destination: CRC Circle AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; ovct at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.36 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from PARC, 74 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 24, 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo 1 - Damaged Aircraft | PDF, 1 page | 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 N333TB 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
- N333TB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Helio H-250 11 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Helio 120 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1B5 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Circle City Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,144 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N333TB 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/ANC14CA087.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.