NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA15CA127
Registry · N20059
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 208
Seats / Engines
11 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1952C
Registrant of record
TEXTRON AVIATION INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The non-helicopter-rated pilot's improper decision to operate the helicopter at low-level and his inability to adequately see the horizon over snow and ice, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Factual narrative
The non helicopter-rated pilot reported that while performing a bank, at low level, above a frozen river, he lost sight of the horizon and the helicopter impacted the frozen river. The helicopter came to rest on its left side, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor, tailboom, and cockpit structure. The non helicopter-rated pilot further reported to a representative of the Federal Aviation Administration and Sheriff's Deputies that the helicopter was functioning "normally" at the time of impact and that "somehow I must have lost sight of the horizon in all the snow and ice." No preimpact malfunctions or abnormalities were noted with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The non-helicopter-rated pilot reported that while performing a bank, at low level, above a frozen river, he lost sight of the horizon and the helicopter impacted the frozen river. The helicopter came to rest on its left side, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor, tailboom, and cockpit structure. The non-helicopter-rated pilot further reported to a representative of the Federal Aviation Administration and Sheriff's Deputies that the helicopter was functioning "normally" at the time of impact and that "somehow I must have lost sight of the horizon in all the snow and ice." No preimpact malfunctions or abnormalities were noted 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-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Whiteout-Contributed to outcome
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Snowy/icy-Contributed to outcome
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2015_ERA15CA127.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (controlled flight into terrain). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Flight Safety Foundation 2023 · FSF / AeroSafety World
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) — A 2023 Industry Refresh
Foundation 2023 CFIT data refresh — three decades after the original CFIT Task Force eliminated >95% of air-carrier CFIT, the GA + Part 135 communities still account for most CFIT fatalities.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Publication (TP)
Flight Simulator Evaluation of Synthetic Vision Display Concepts to Prevent Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)
In commercial aviation, over 30-percent of all fatal accidents worldwide are categorized as Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents, where a fully functioning airplane is inadvertently flown i…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Other
Preliminary Effect of Synthetic Vision Systems Displays to Reduce Low-Visibility Loss of Control and Controlled Flight Into Terrain Accidents
An experimental investigation was conducted to study the effectiveness of Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS) flight displays as a means of eliminating Low Visibility Loss of Control (LVLOC) and Controlled…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Rating the Relevance of QUORUM-Selected ASRS Incident Narratives to a "Controlled Flight into Terrain" Accident
An exploratory study was conducted to identify commercial aviation incidents that are relevant to a "controlled flight into terrain" (CFIT) accident using a NASA-developed text processing method.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2001 · Journal article (JAAER)
Controlled Flight into Terrain: How the Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration are Addressing the Problem
Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) is not a new problem. It has been around since the beginning of manned flight. A CFIT accident occurs when an airworthy aircraft, under the control of a pilot, is…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2023 · Conference paper
Aircraft Energy Management: A Best Practice for Integrating Safety and Efficiency
Aircraft Energy Management: A Best Practice for Integrating Safety and Efficiency The airplane is the quintessential energy system, constantly transforming, transferring, distributing, storing, and ex…
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