Bell 206B accident near Cantwell, Alaska, September 13, 1996
On September 13, 1996 at about 7:55 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N7982J, was destroyed in an accident near Cantwell, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The terrain conditions, low ceiling, fog, and whiteout conditions were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 1996 · about 7:55 pm local time
- Place
- Cantwell, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7982J · no longer on the register · serial 738
- 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 pilot and 2 passengers departed in a helicopter on a flight over a large mountain range. Weather conditions along the intended route of flight, following a highway through a large pass, included low ceilings, snow, and fog. The area forecast included an AIRMET for marginal VFR and temporary IFR conditions. The pilot made several telephone calls to an FAA flight service station and his company office in the area of the pass to access the weather conditions. He decided to cross the mountain range in an area 23 miles west of the first intended route, over a small mountain pass. During flight over the pass, he encountered low ceilings with snow and fog. He entered whiteout conditions and began a turn to reverse direction. The pilot became disoriented and the helicopter collided with snow covered terrain at an elevation of about 5,300 feet.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,310 hours in all; 3,600 in this make and model; 217 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days; 8,260 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,576 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 1, 1996; 16 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: Colorado AK at 2:25 pm
- Destination: Teklanika Lake AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.