Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Wrangell, Alaska 99929
Wednesday, February 7, 1990 15:13 AST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
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.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
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.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 2/7/1990 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1513 |
| Event Time Zone | Atlantic Standard Time |
| Event City | WRANGELL |
| Event State | ALASKA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 99929 |
| Event Date Year | 1990 |
| Event Date Month | 2 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 100 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Moderate |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 6 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 2 |
| Injury Total All | 8 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 6000 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Feb 7 1990 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1910 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 40658 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:06AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | CGNMJ |
| NTSB Number | DEN90FA053 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Company VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BELL |
| Aircraft Model | 205A-1 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 205A-1 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 30264 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 9500 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | Foreign Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 13 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 11 1990 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 91 |
| Airframe Hours | 7160 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | NORTHERN MOUNTAIN HELIC. INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 368 |
| Aircraft Owner City | PRINCE GEORGE |
| Aircraft Owner State | |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | NORTHERN MOUNTAIN HELICOPTERS |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | P.O. BOX 368 |
| Operator City | PRINCE GEORGE |
| Operator State | CD |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | NONE |
| Departure City | JOHNNY MOUNTAIN |
| Departure State | CD |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1510 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | WRG |
| Destination City | WRANGELL |
| Destination State | AK |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 9 2001 2:21PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |