Bell 206B accident near Palmer, Alaska, March 10, 2015
On March 10, 2015 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 1975 Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N86TA, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (hover) near Palmer, Alaska. It was a personal 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 failure to maintain control while hovering at a low altitude, which resulted in an impact with frozen lake ice. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the helicopter from the left seat contrary to the rotorcraft flight manual, and the decision to continue the flight after the initial impact.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 2015 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B B, built 1975 · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N86TA · no longer on the register · serial 1647
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo helicopter pilot was flying a turbine-powered helicopter, equipped with dual controls, while seated in the left seat. A limitation in the rotorcraft flight manual states, in part: "the minimum flight crew consists of one pilot who shall operate the helicopter from the right crew seat." The N2 governor linear actuator control switch is located on the collective control for the right crew seat only. The pilot reported that flying the helicopter from the left seat and in order to manipulate this control switch, he had to take his left hand off the collective control for the left crew seat, and place it on the left crew seat cyclic control, then take his right hand off the left crew seat cyclic control and place it on the collective control for the right crew seat. The pilot said that while in a 6-foot hover above a frozen lake, he became distracted while adjusting the N2 (rotor) rpm using the linear actuator control switch, and the helicopter became unstable and it began to rapidly descend. He attempted to recover from the unstable condition, but the helicopter's skids struck the ice. After the impact, he was able to recover and regain a stable hover above the ice. Believing that just the helicopter's skids were damaged during the impact, the pilot elected to return to his departure airport, about 19 miles away, where emergency services would be available. During the return flight, as the helicopter climbed to about 50 feet above the ground, all engine power was lost. The pilot entered an emergency autorotation and selected an area of snow-cover as an emergency landing site. The pilot's postaccident inspection of the helicopter revealed that during the initial impact on the frozen lake, the aft landing gear cross-tube assembly had been crushed into the aft portion of the fuselage, which subsequently ruptured the fuel cell, resulting in the loss of all fuel onboard. The pilot stated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies 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 maneuvering (hover) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- 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
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of procedures › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,190 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 12,000 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 22, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,367 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 14, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 3,201 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 8,386 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAAQ Palmer AK
- Destination: PAAQ Palmer AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point -4°F (-20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PAAQ, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N86TA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.