Helio H-250 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 26, 2016
On September 26, 2016 at about 10:20 pm local time, a 1966 Helio H-250, registered N6324V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Anchorage, Alaska (Lake Hood airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue fracture failure of both main landing gear (MLG) legs during the landing roll, which resulted in the collapse and separation of both MLG legs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2016 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Lake Hood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Helio H-250, built 1966 · all H-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6324V · registry record · serial 2538
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that, after an uneventful touchdown on the dry, gravel-surface runway, he felt a medium vibration as he applied the brakes. As the airplane continued the landing roll, both main landing gear (MLG) legs sheared off. The propeller impacted the runway, and the airplane came to rest on the bottom of the fuselage, which sustained substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that both MLG legs failed due to fatigue cracking. The fatigue cracks were extended by intermittent overstress until the legs separated. The overstress extensions likely occurred during the accident landing or immediately before it because there was no corrosion of the crack surfaces.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 15,300 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 15,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 22, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,099.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 28, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 Series (piston); 3,099 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: None Igiugig AK
- Destination: LHD Anchorage AK
- Runway 32, 2,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PALH, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N6324V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC16LA072.