Bell 206B accident near Juneau, Alaska, July 8, 1996
On July 8, 1996 at about 3:30 am local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N2761F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Juneau, Alaska. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
The pilot's failure to maintain proper alignment while lifting the helicopter to a hover and inducing a dynamic roll to avoid striking a passenger.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 1996 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2761F · no longer on the register · serial 2606
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed in a area that was covered with tree stumps and cut logs. He maneuvered the helicopter so that when he landed the skids straddled a stump. The passenger disembarked the helicopter and positioned himself in the tree line in front of the helicopter. The pilot began to lift the helicopter vertically. He stated that he drifted to the right and the inside of the left skid struck the tree stump. The helicopter started to roll to the right. To avoid striking the passenger he applied full aft and right cyclic. The helicopter rolled onto its right side.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,768 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 83 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 3,718 as pilot in command; 709 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,840 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 23, 1996; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AK at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°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.