Bell 205A-1 accident near Wrangell, Alaska, February 7, 1990
On February 7, 1990 at about 7:13 pm local time, a Bell 205A-1 (helicopter), registered CGNMJ, was destroyed in an accident near Wrangell, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: COMPANY INDUCED PRESSURE TO MAKE THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT'S DECISION TO INITIATE FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, HIS LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, HIS OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS PERSONAL ABILITIES, AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 1990 · about 7:13 pm local time
- Place
- Wrangell, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bell 205A-1 · all 205A-1s on the register
- Registration
- CGNMJ · no longer on the register · serial 30264
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER, C-GNMJ, CRASHED ON A FRZN RIVER AS MINERS WERE BEING TRANSPORTED FROM THE JOHNNY MOUNTAIN GOLD MINE (NEAR THE U.S./CANADIAN BORDER) TO WRANGELL, AK. THE PLT COULD NOT RECALL THE ACCIDENT & THE SURVIVING PASSENGER (PAX) REFUSED TO BE INTERVIEWED. ANOTHER HELICOPTER WAS EN ROUTE FROM WRANGELL TO THE MINE SITE AT THE SAME TIME. THE PLT OF THE OTHER HELICOPTER MADE 2 ATTEMPTS TO PENETRATE THE BACK SIDE OF THE SNOW SQUALL & FAILED. AFTER REVERSING COURSE TO RTRN TO WRANGELL, THAT PLT SIGHTED THE WRECKAGE OF C-GNMJ. PASSENGERS WHO HAD FLOWN TO WRANGELL ABOARD C-GNMJ ON A PREVIOUS TRIP SAID THEY HAD ENCOUNTERED SNOW SQUALLS & WHITEOUT CONDITIONS. AT ONE POINT, ONE OF THE PAX BELIEVED THE HELICOPTER WAS IN A HOVER. HE SAID IT THEN CAME OUT OF THE SQUALL IN A STEEP BANK. A FORMER EMPLOYEE RPRTD THAT COMPANY OFFICIALS PRESSURED THE PLTS TO COMPLETE THEIR FLTS, IN SPITE OF MARGINAL WX CONDITIONS.
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: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,160 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 11, 1990; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,500 lb
- Seats: 13
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming T5313B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Johnny Mountain at 11:10 pm
- Destination: WRG Wrangell AK
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 5 | 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.