Helio H 295 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, September 10, 2020
On September 10, 2020 at about 11:15 pm local time, a 1974 Helio H 295, registered N68857, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Fairbanks, Alaska. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 initiate a right turn immediately after departure and his failure to maintain a proper crosswind correction, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2020 · about 11:15 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Fairbanks, 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 No Series, built 1974 · all H 295s on the register
- Registration
- N68857 · registry record · serial 1463
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during takeoff, in gusty wind conditions, from a remote unimproved airstrip that was located along a river, the takeoff roll was normal. After the airplane became airborne, he initiated a turn to the right, and the right wing dropped suddenly and impacted a “root wad”. The pilot recovered airplane control after the impact and continued the flight back to the base airport without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,400 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 280 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 7,300 as pilot in command; 70 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 23, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,310 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 5, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480-G206 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wright Air Service, Inc.
The flight
- Destination: PAFA Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway N/A, 500 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from PAFA, 90 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 NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N68857 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
- N68857 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-G206 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 N68857 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/ANC20CA092.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.