Wind 170° At 5 Knots; Visibility ¼ Mile With Fog; Indefinite Ceiling Of 200 Feet

Location: King Salmon, AK Accident Number: ANC24FA089
Date & Time: September 7, 2024, 09:24 Local Registration: N306FW
Aircraft: Bell 206B Injuries: 1 Fatal, 4 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 135: Air taxi & commuter - Non-scheduled

On September 7, 2024, about 0924 Alaska daylight time, a Bell 206B helicopter, N306FW, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near King Salmon, Alaska. A passenger was fatally injured, the pilot and three passengers sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 flight.

The accident helicopter, owned and operated by Egli Air Haul, was transporting four passengers to a sport fishing camp located to the south of the King Salmon Airport (AKN). Weather conditions at AKN at the time of the accident were reported to be, in part: Wind 170° at 5 knots; visibility ¼ mile with fog; indefinite ceiling of 200 feet. 

According to archived Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data, the accident pilot contacted the AKN control tower specialist on duty to request a special visual flight rules (SVFR) clearance to depart to the south. The controller on duty issued the pilot a SVFR clearance and instructed the pilot to report clear of the Class D airspace to the south. The helicopter then departed to the south.

Shortly after the helicopter departed, the control tower specialist received a phone call from an observer to the south of the airport indicating that a helicopter had just crashed into the Naknak River, near Grassy Point. The control tower specialist then attempted to reach the departing helicopter, but no further radio communications were received.

During a brief postaccident interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), the accident pilot reported encountering an area of dense fog while flying over the very calm water of the Naknek River and he subsequently lost all visual reference, and the helicopter struck the surface of the river. 

A detailed wreckage examination is pending after the helicopter is recovered from the waters of the Naknak River. 

FMI: www.ntsb.gov