NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC20CA092
Registry · N68857
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
HELIO H-295
Year of manufacture
1974 · 46 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING GO-480 SERIES (295 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19771018
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A92416
Registrant of record
WRIGHT AIR SERVICE INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s decision to initiate a right turn immediately after departure and his failure to maintain a proper crosswind correction, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during takeoff, in gusty wind conditions, from a remote unimproved airstrip that was located along a river, the takeoff roll was normal. After the airplane became airborne, he initiated a turn to the right, and the right wing dropped suddenly and impacted a “root wad”. The pilot recovered airplane control after the impact and continued the flight back to the base airport without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane 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).
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Crosswind correction-Not attained/maintained
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2020_ANC20CA092.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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