Aerospatiale AS-350-B accident near Juneau, Alaska, August 17, 1990
On August 17, 1990 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Aerospatiale AS-350-B (helicopter), registered N26492, was substantially damaged in an accident near Juneau, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE FREE TURBINE INTERMEDIATE PINION DRIVEN GEAR AND SUBSEQUENT DISINTEGRATION OF THE FREE TURBINE ASSEMBLY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 1990 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS-350-B · all AS-350-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N26492 · no longer on the register · serial 1066
- 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
SHORTLY ATER TAKEOFF, THE HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE. THE PILOT MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ONTO AN OPEN LOT. THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A FAILURE AND SEPARATION OF THE TURBINE INTERMEDIATE PINION DRIVEN GEAR WEB UNIT.
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: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 910 hours in all; 291 in this make and model; 297 in the last 90 days; 117 in the last 30 days; 856 as pilot in command; 382 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,078 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 16, 1990; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 300 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.