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Atlas / NTSB / ANC83FA144

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ANC83FA144

1983-08-13 BETTLES, Alaska, United States Airport · BTT None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N1081K

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON 206L-1

Year of manufacture

1980 · 3 years old at event

TCDS

H2SW · BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA LTD

Engine

ALLISON 250-C20 SER (420 hp)

Seats / Engines

7 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19930921

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A024F1

Registrant of record

MARKS AVIATION GROUP LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

ACCORDING TO THE PLT, THE LOW FUEL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHEN THE FUEL GAGE WAS INDICATING 200 LBS. HE REPORTED HE COULD SEE THE ARPT LIGHTS & ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE FLT. AFTER ARRIVING, HE TERMINATED HIS APCH TO A 30 TO 50 FT HOVER WITH NO FORWARD SPEED. AS HE APPLIED FORWARD CYCLIC TO HOVER TO THE REFUELING AREA, THE ENG FLAMED OUT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD & THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE TAIL BOOM. AN EXAM REVEAL THERE WAS ENOUGH FUEL REMAINING IN THE MAIN CELL FOR APRX 20 MIN OF FLT. DISASSEMBLY OF THE SYS REVEALED THAT DEBRIS (DIRT & ZINC CHROMATE PAINT CHIPS) WAS IN THE FILTERS. THE FILTER SCREEN HAD OPENINGS OF .020 INCH. PARTICLES WERE FOUND IN THE FLOW SWITCHES. HOWEVER, THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE FLOW SWITCH PLUNGER & THE WALL OF THE CASING WAS ONLY .012 INCH. EVIDENCE WAS FOUND TO INDICATE THIS RENDERED A FLOW SWICH INOPERATIVE SO THAT FUEL WOULD NOT TRANSFER FROM THE MAIN CELL TO THE REAR CELL WHERE IT COULD BE USED BY THE ENG. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1983_ANC83FA144.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.