Bell 206B accident near Wrangell, Alaska, March 26, 1994
On March 26, 1994 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N49727, was destroyed in an accident near Wrangell, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO ASSURE THAT HE HAD THE PROPER CLEARANCE FROM OBSTRUCTIONS PRIOR TO LANDING ON THE PLATFORM. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE HIGH OBSTRUCTION (TREE STRUMP).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1994 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Wrangell, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N49727 · no longer on the register · serial 1955
- Damage
- Destroyed
- 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 WAS LANDING ON A MAN MADE WOOD PLATFORM AT A REMOTE LOGGING SITE. SHORTLY AFTER THE HELICOPTER'S SKIDS TOUCHED DOWN ON THE PLATFORM, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK A STUMP UP SLOPE OF THE PLATFORM.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,385 hours in all; 109 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,883 as pilot in command; 817 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,854 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 22, 1994; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Coastal Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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.
Other NTSB records under N49727 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.