Bell 47G-2A incident near Anchorage, Alaska, February 15, 1984
On February 15, 1984 at about 1:40 am local time, a Bell 47G-2A (helicopter), registered N8495E, suffered minor damage in an incident near Anchorage, Alaska. It was a business 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- February 15, 1984 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 47G-2A · all 47G-2As on the register
- Registration
- N8495E · no longer on the register · serial 2680
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT TAIL ROTOR STRUCK SNOW DURING AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING FOLLOWING AN ENG FAILURE. THE SNOW DEPTH VARIED BETWEEN 32 & 45 INCHES. EXAMINATION OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE RT HAND MAG WAS FIRING INTERMITTENTLY ON TWO OF THE SIX DISTRIBUTOR CONTACTS WHICH WERE GAPPED CLOSER THAN THE PRESCRIBED MINIMUM.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 561 hours in all; 286 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days; 502 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,446 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 3, 1983; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming VO-435-A1E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK at 1:35 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 13,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N8495E 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.