Bell 214B1 accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, February 19, 1993
On February 19, 1993 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Bell 214B1 (helicopter), registered N114CR, was destroyed in an accident near Ketchikan, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE OF THE HYDRAULIC SERVO ACTUATOR WHICH LED TO THE FATIGUE FAILURE AND LOSS OF FLIGHT CONTROL. IN ADDITION, THE FLIGHTCREW DID NOT, OR WAS UNABLE TO, JETTISON THE EXTERNAL LOAD. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT OPERATING THE HELICOPTER OVER MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT, THE OPERATOR'S CONTINUED AEROLOGGING OPERATIONS WITH AIRCRAFT EXCEEDING MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT, AND INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE OF THE OPERATOR'S MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS ACTIVITY BY THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 19, 1993 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 214B1 · all 214B1s on the register
- Registration
- N114CR · no longer on the register · serial 28034
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS HOVERING 200 FT AGL, WITH LOGS ATTACHED TO A 150-FT LONGLINE, WHEN IT WAS OBSERVED TO HAVE A LOSS OF CONTROL. THE LOGS WERE DRAGGED ALONG THE GROUND UNTIL CAUGHT IN STUMPS, PITCHING THE HELICOPTER INTO THE GROUND. THE LOWER PISTON ROD OF THE RIGHT DUAL HYDRAULIC SERVO ACTUATOR HAD FAILED IN FATIGUE; ALSO BEARING WEAR WAS INCONSISTENT WITH COMPONENTS OF COMPARABLE TIME. OPERATOR RECORDS SHOWED REGULAR OVERLOADING OF AEROLOGGING HELICOPTERS; ACFT OVERLOADED BY 2000 LBS PRIOR TO ACCIDENT. OPERATOR MAINTENANCE & FACILITY RECORDS INCOMPLETE. MAINTENANCE PERFORMED IN ALASKA WITHOUT FAA AUTHORIZATION. NO RECORDS OF OF FAA SURVEILLANCE OF OPERATOR EXTERNAL LOAD OPERATIONS IN ALASKA SINCE START OF OPERATIONS 4/91. THE EXTERNAL HOOK ELECTRICAL RELEASE MECHANISM WAS TESTED & FUNCTIONED NORMALLY.
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; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,500 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,772 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 6, 1992; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T5508D (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.