Helio H-391B accident near Circle, Alaska, September 13, 1990
On September 13, 1990 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Helio H-391B, registered N316HW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Circle, Alaska. It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRPLANE CONTROL AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO IDENTIFY THE STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1990 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Circle, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Helio H-391B · all H-391Bs on the register
- Registration
- N316HW · no longer on the register · serial 066
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE TAKEOFF ON A GRAVEL BAR APPROXIMATELY 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE AIRPLANE STALLED AND THEN CRASHED INTO THE ALDERS.
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
- Flight time: 1,374 hours in all; 1,077 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 1,256 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-480 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC90LA178.