Eurocopter AS-350B-2 accident near Juneau, Alaska, September 10, 1999
On September 10, 1999 at about 8:04 pm local time, a Eurocopter AS-350B-2 (helicopter), registered N6007S, was destroyed in an accident near Juneau, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and inadequate altitude/clearance. Factors associated with the accident were flat light and whiteout conditions, snow, and snow-covered terrain. An additional factor was the FAA's inadequate certification/approval of the operator's training manual, which did not require the operator to provide instrument training or instrument flight proficiency checks to its pilots.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 1999 · about 8:04 pm local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Eurocopter AS-350B-2 · all AS-350B-2s on the register
- Registration
- N6007S · registry record · serial 2433
- 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 certificated commercial helicopter pilot, with five passengers aboard, was attempting to return to the Juneau International Airport after completion of an ice field sightseeing tour flight. During a gradual descent, over a large, featureless, and snow-covered ice field, a localized snow shower momentarily reduced his forward visibility. The pilot reported he slowed the helicopter to about 70 knots and attempted to use a mountain range on the left side of the helicopter for visual reference. He said: 'The visibility got to a point where I was unable to discern any topographic features, only a dark shape on the horizon.' He added that 'flat light conditions' contributed to his inability to recognize any topographical features on the ice surface. The helicopter continued to descend, struck the snow-covered ice field, slid about 150 feet, and nosed over. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the helicopter. The helicopter was not equipped with a radar altimeter, and the pilot did not hold an instrument rating. The pilot received no emergency instrument training from the company, nor did the company require him to demonstrate the ability to maneuver the helicopter solely by reference to the installed flight instruments. FAA Order 8400.10 requires Principal Operations Inspectors, and approved company check airmen, to have pilots demonstrate their ability to control a helicopter solely by reference to flight instruments during 14 CFR 135.293 competency checks for VFR-only helicopter operations. The operator's FAA-approved training manual did not require training or competency checks of the pilot's ability to maneuver the helicopter solely by reference to flight instruments.
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: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 1,190 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days; 2,300 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 752 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 17, 1999; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,961 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL 1D1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNU AK at 2:04 pm
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft; scat at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from PAJ, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 |
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.