Bell 206L-1 accident near Mt Mckinley Vil, Alaska, May 16, 1984
On May 16, 1984 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Bell 206L-1 (helicopter), registered N1078N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mt Mckinley Vil, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 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 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
- May 16, 1984 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Mt Mckinley Vil, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206L-1 · all 206L-1s on the register
- Registration
- N1078N · registry record · serial 45389
- 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 HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FAILURE WHILE CRUISING AT ABOUT 600 FT AGL. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING DURING WHICH THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES COLLIDED WITH TREES. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED THAT THE CHECK VALVES LOCATED IN THE FUEL LINES WHICH TRANSFER FUEL FROM THE FORWARD FUEL CELL TO THE AFT FUEL CELL WERE WORN AND ONE OF THE CHECK VALVES WAS STUCK IN THE CLOSED POSITION. FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL MANIFOLD, WHICH CONTAINS TWO MORE POPPET VALVES, REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE POPPET PARTICLES WAS FOUND IN ALL OF THESE CHECK VALVES. WITH BOTH POPPET VALVES CLOSED, THE FUEL BOOST PUMPS WILL NOT SUPPLY PRESSURE TO THE SINGLE FUEL LINE, TO THE FUEL PRESSURE TRANSDUCER OR TO THE ENGINE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,328 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 97 in the last 90 days; 3,050 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,209 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 12, 1984; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,150 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Detr. Diesel 250-C28B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Logistics Of Ak INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Denali Airstrip AK at 1:30 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.