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Atlas / NTSB / ANC18CA056

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ANC18CA056

2018-07-25 Kobuk, Alaska, United States Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N354LA

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

EUROCOPTER AS 350 B3

TCDS

H9EU · AIRBUS HELICOPTERS

Seats / Engines

6 seats · 1 engine

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A3F4A4

Registrant of record

SALE REPORTED

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's inadvertent dynamic rollover during takeoff.

Factual narrative

The commercial pilot of the helicopter was transporting equipment in support of remote mining activities using a 100-foot long-line. During takeoff, and while preparing to lift the external sling load, he inadvertently allowed the helicopter to drift laterally to the right and the right skid struck the ground, resulting in a dynamic rollover. The helicopter continued to roll to the right, and the main rotor blades struck the ground. The helicopter subsequently came to rest on its right side, sustaining substantial damage to the main rotor drive system, fuselage, and tail boom. The pilot sustained minor injuries, and reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_ANC18CA056.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.