Aerospatiale AS-350B accident near Soldotna, Alaska, March 30, 1998
On March 30, 1998 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Aerospatiale AS-350B (helicopter), registered N158EH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Soldotna, Alaska (Soldotna airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent dynamic rollover while performing a slope landing. Factors associated with the accident are the presence of rough and uneven terrain, and the pilot's improper slope landing technique.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1998 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Soldotna, Alaska · Soldotna · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale AS-350B · all AS-350Bs on the register
- Registration
- N158EH · no longer on the register · serial 2055
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing slope landings in preparation for an upcoming check ride. According to the pilot, he was positioning the helicopter close to the hill in order to start the maneuver. The next thing the pilot recalls, the helicopter had rolled to its left, and was upside down and on top of the hill that he was attempting to land beside. The day following the accident, the pilot reported that he now suspected that the tail rotor drive shaft became disengaged, and caused the accident. The forward tail rotor shaft assembly, and a portion of the adjoining rear tail rotor drive shaft were examined by the NTSB Materials Laboratory for inspection. The inspection discovered no evidence of an in-flight disengagement of the tail rotor drive shaft assembly prior to impact.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,436 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 13, 1997; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,630 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 1B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1AK4 Rotor Airstrip AK at 1:30 pm
- Destination: SXQ
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.