Bell 206-LIII accident near Wasilla, Alaska, August 1, 1997
On August 1, 1997 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Bell 206-LIII (helicopter), registered N94TA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wasilla, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent dynamic rollover during liftoff. Factors associated with the accident were soft terrain and a snagged landing gear skid.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1997 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-LIII · all 206-LIIIs on the register
- Registration
- N94TA · no longer on the register · serial 51449
- 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 pilot was receiving an evaluation flight from a U.S. Department of Interior, Office of Aircraft Services, helicopter specialist. The intent of the flight was to certify the pilot to fly future government contracted flights. The helicopter pilot performed several maneuvers during the evaluation, and then landed on the shore of a small lake to re-hook an external bucket to the bottom of the helicopter. The terrain was level, but was in an area of soft marshy type tundra. The helicopter was equipped with full length flat skis attached to the bottom of the landing gear skid tubes. These tundra skis help prevent the helicopter skid tubes from sinking into soft terrain. After the external bucket's cable was attached to the helicopter, the pilot began to lift the helicopter into a hover. During the liftoff, the left skid tube remained stuck to the ground. The helicopter then rolled onto its left side and received damage to the fuselage and rotor system.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,560 hours in all; 335 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 7,275 as pilot in command; 1,450 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,068 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 31, 1997; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,250 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison C30-P (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BGQ Big Lake AK at 5:00 pm
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.