Bell 206B accident near Anchorage, Alaska, December 5, 1997
On December 5, 1997 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Bell 206B (helicopter), registered N83146, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Campbell Airstrip airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 adequate rotor RPM during an autorotation landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 1997 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Campbell Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B · all 206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N83146 · no longer on the register · serial 1034
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Two commercial pilots were practicing touchdown autorotation landings at a private snow covered airstrip. The purpose of the flight was for both pilots to maintain their proficiency. The first pilot had performed several straight-in touchdown autorotations. During the last autorotation, the first pilot entered the autorotation at 800 feet above the ground and about 80 knots. During the descent, the pilot maintained a 65 knot airspeed, and began a deceleration flare about 50 to 60 feet above the ground. As the ground speed dissipated, the pilot leveled the helicopter, applied main rotor collective pitch, and touched down with about a 30 foot ground run. As the helicopter slowed to a stop, the pilot indicated the helicopter shuddered several times. The main rotor blades struck the tail boom, severing the horizontal and vertical stabilizer, and the tail rotor assembly, from the tail boom.
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: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 625 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 188 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,638 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 9, 1997; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI AK at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.