Sikorsky S-58G accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska, September 5, 1992
On September 5, 1992 at about 4:20 am local time, a Sikorsky S-58G (helicopter), registered N822G, was destroyed in an accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska. It was a business flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 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
INFLIGHT ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE AND POST LANDING FIRE OF UNDETERMINED ORIGIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1992 · about 4:20 am local time
- Place
- Port Alsworth, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-58G · all S-58Gs on the register
- Registration
- N822G · registry record · serial 58-1732
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE S58 PILOT WAS ENROUTE TO A PART 133 PICKUP LOCATION REPORTED AN INDICATION OF FIRE WARNING LIGHT IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FOLLOWED BY VISUAL FLAME BELOW THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT. AN IMMEDIATE AUTOROTATION WAS SUCCESSFUL. THE PILOT EVACUATED WITHOUT INJURY. THE FIRE APPEARED TO BE AVGAS ORIGIN AND CONSUMED THE ENTIRE AIRCRAFT WITHIN 2 MINUTES.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 14,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 1992; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wright 1820-84 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SXQ Soldotna AK at 10:00 pm
- Destination: Z30 Port Alsworth AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 10 knots
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.