Bell 206B-3 accident near Bettles, Alaska, July 21, 1995
On July 21, 1995 at about 1:00 am local time, a Bell 206B-3 (helicopter), registered N58129, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bettles, Alaska (Bettles airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ENSURING THE SLING CABLE WAS FREE OF THE SKID BEFORE LIFTING OFF INTO A HOVER, WHICH ALLOWED THE CABLE TO BECOME WRAPPED (ENTANGLED) AROUND THE SKID.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1995 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Bettles, Alaska · Bettles · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B-3 · all 206B-3s on the register
- Registration
- N58129 · no longer on the register · serial 1136
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO LIFT AN EXTERNAL LOAD. THE SLING CABLE WAS WRAPPED AROUND THE AFT PART OF THE RIGHT SKID. AS THE PILOT INCREASED THE HOVER HEIGHT, THE CABLE BECAME TAUT. HE ATTEMPTED TO JETTISON THE LOAD, BUT THE CABLE WOULD NOT RELEASE. HE THEN LANDED THE HELICOPTER ON THE EXTERNAL LOAD.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,275 hours in all; 3,042 in this make and model; 9,055 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,650 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Mining Site AK
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 1, 5,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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.