Bell 206B accident near Kenai, Alaska, December 4, 1994
On December 4, 1994 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N3179X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kenai, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE INFORMATION IN THE FLIGHT MANUAL CONCERNING THE USE OF THE PARTICLE SEPARATOR KIT AND DEFLECTOR KIT WHEN OPERATING IN FALLING SNOW. FACTORS WERE THE ROUGH TERRAIN IN THE FORCED LANDING AREA AND NO INSTALLATION OF THE DEFLECTOR KIT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 1994 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kenai, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3179X · no longer on the register · serial 3756
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT, IN LIGHT FALLING SNOW, WHEN THE PILOT HEARD A POP AND EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE POWER LOSS. THE PILOT AUTOROTATED TO THE GROUND ONTO ROUGH TERRAIN. THE LANDING WAS HARD AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER ONTO ITS RIGHT SIDE. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER SHOWED THAT IT WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A DEFLECTOR KIT OR FLOW VANES. THE HELICOPTER DID NOT HAVE AN ENGINE RELIGHT SYSTEM INSTALLED.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,900 hours in all; 5,500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 11,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,745 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 21, 1994; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20J (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ENA AK at 3:00 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3179X 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.