Helio H-250 accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, July 17, 1984
On July 17, 1984 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Helio H-250, registered N6321V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 1984 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Helio H-250 · all H-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6321V · no longer on the register · serial 2536
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT NOSED UP AFTER TAKEOFF TO AN APRX 75 DEG PITCH ANGLE IN SPITE OF NOSE DOWN CONTROL INPUT. THE PLT PULLED OFF ALL POWER AND THE ACFT FELL TO THE GROUND. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 392 LBS OVER GROSS WEIGHT AND 5.13 INCHES AFT OF THE AFT CG LIMIT. ALSO, HAZARDOUS CARGO WAS IMPROPERLY PACKAGED, NOT PROPERLY MARKED AND NOT SECURED. THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER ON BOARD THE ACFT WAS LAST INSPECTED IN 1/80.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 11,100 hours in all; 2,503 in this make and model; 10,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,458 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1984; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 2:15 pm
- Destination: Slide Creek AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1R, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.