AS350 Helo Crash in Palmer, Alaska

[Airbubba]

Helicopter crash near Knik Glacier kills 5, leaving sole survivor in serious condition

Author: Annie Berman (https://www.adn.com/author/annie-berman/)

Updated: 17 minutes ago

Published 6 hours ago
Five are dead and one survivor is in serious condition after a helicopter crashed Saturday night in the area of Knik Glacier, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, a backcountry ski resort northwest of Anchorage, said in a written statement Sunday evening the helicopter was on a heli-ski outing and carrying two ski guides, three lodge guests and a pilot.

A team from Alaska Rescue Coordination Center was dispatched to the crash site just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, troopers wrote (https://dailydispatch.dps.alaska.gov/Home/DisplayIncident?incidentNumber=AK21031918), after state troopers received a report of an overdue helicopter and the location of possible crash debris. It wasn’t immediately clear from the trooper statement whether the crash site was on or near the glacier.

The deceased were identified Sunday evening as 52-year-old Colorado resident Gregory Harms, 56-year-old Czech Republic resident Petr Kellner, 50-year-old Czech Republic resident Benjamin Larochaix, 38-year-old Girdwood resident Sean McMannany, and pilot 33-year-old Anchorage, Alaska resident Zach Russel.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Troopers wrote that the rescue team arrived to find five occupants of helicopter dead and one survivor, who was transported for medical care. “The survivor remains in serious but stable condition, and is receiving medical care at an Anchorage area hospital,” troopers wrote Sunday evening.

By Sunday evening, the five bodies from the crash site had been recovered, and next of kin for the deceased had been notified, state troopers reported.

Tordrillo Mountain Lodge had chartered the helicopter from Soloy Helicopters, a Wasilla-based charter company, according to a spokeswoman for the lodge. The lodge bills itself as a luxury multi-sport resort, and offers guided heli-skiing trips through the winter that start at $15,000 per person.“This news is devastating to our staff, the community in which we operate and the families of the deceased. In 17 years of operations this is the first time we’ve had to face an event of this measure,” read a statement from the lodge.

The Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Army National Guard, and Alaska Mountain Rescue Group attempted recovery efforts at the crash site Sunday, troopers wrote, and next of kin notifications are ongoing.

A flight restriction (https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_1_1372.html) that was put in place in the area of Knik Glacier for a recovery mission was lifted Sunday evening.

Helicopter crash near Knik Glacier kills 5, leaving sole survivor in serious condition - Anchorage Daily News (adn.com)

___________________ (https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2021/03/28/helicopter-crash-near-knik-glacier-kills-5-people-leaving-sole-survivor-in-serious-condition/)

The NTSB is investigating the crash Saturday evening of an Airbus AS 350 B3 helicopter in Palmer, Alaska. An investigator is headed to the crash scene.
2:54 PM · Mar 28, 2021

[hookes_joint]

Terrible news for everyone in the Industry. Tordrillo Lodge is an incredible experience and Soloy Helicopters are the premier operator in Ak. Condolences to all the families.

[guided]

Petr Kellner, one of the dead, was one of the richest people in the world, worth 18 billion $

[Sikpilot]

https://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/czech-billionaire-kellner-killed-in-alas

[NutLoose]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/billionaire-and-czech-republics-richest-man-killed-in-helicopter-crash-during-alaska-ski-trip/ar-BB1f4AHN

[atakacs]

And yet another top 0.1% loosing their liffe a rotorcrafts...

I only know two of them personally but they both decided to stay clear of those flying contraptions as much as possible (not always possible apparently in that milieu...). Wise men.

[andrasz]

From subsequent media reports accident happened at 18:35LT (GMT -8). Sunset on 27 March was at 20:33LT
Relevant ANC Metars (accident site 40km E of ANC):
PANC 280153Z 34013KT 10SM FEW080 01/M12 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP127 T00061122
PANC 280253Z 34014G20KT 10SM FEW080 01/M12 A2995 RMK AO2 SLP145 T00061117 53042

Data suggests that the usual culprit, granite in them clouds was not in play in this case.

[atakacs]

Data suggests that the usual culprit, granite in them clouds was not in play in this case.
I might be little thick but not sure to understand your sentence.

[Tarq57]

I might be little thick but not sure to understand your sentence.
It's a way of saying CFIT in IMC.
Such clouds are also sometimes referred to as "cumulo-granitis", to indicate the likely outcome should you enter IMC without terrain clearance or ability to control the aircraft.

[atakacs]

It's a way of saying CFIT in IMC. understood - thanks

[Old Farang]

Tragic details after $23bn businessman dies in helicopter crash
Tragic details after $23bn businessman dies in helicopter crash (yahoo.com) (https://au.news.yahoo.com/tragic-new-details-about-helicopter-crash-that-killed-billionaire-044221088.html)

[Bell_ringer]

His life insurance policies is likely to have an issue that he died in a single engine aircraft, not that it would have changed the outcome in this instance.

[Reely340]

His life insurance policies is likely to have an issue that he died in a single engine aircraft, not that it would have changed the outcome in this instance.
Well, no mercy, bad choice of insurance then, especially for a billionaire.

[andrasz]

"The helicopter ... just missed clearing an Alaskan ridge by three to five metres when it crashed, preliminary investigations show."
Maybe I was a bit hasty in drawing conclusions. Little tuft of fast forming cloud at the wrong place does it (or a downdraft), though neither should come as a surprise to a seasoned Alaskan operator.

[SpyPilot]

Unfortunate this Forum doesn't have an insurance policy that prevents irrelevant and stupid commentary.

[Arnie Madsen]

My guess .... going by the few pictures available is that the fuselage was reasonably intact , but everything rolling down the mountain for 900 feet likely caused the casualties .... bodies thrown out and scattered all over the place etc.

[RMK]

His life insurance policies is likely to have an issue that he died in a single engine aircraft, not that it would have changed the outcome in this instance.

You have won the prize for most dumbass comment on this thread.

[Fareastdriver]

It doesn't have to be a cloud covering a snow covered ridge.
I was flying Puma across Norway in January. My destination was the other side of a ridge that I could see clearly in the distance on a gin clear day. Cruising along and there was a sudden squawk from the radalt and the side of a rock wizzed by my right ear. It was then, because it was now in shadow, that I saw this ridge I had just flown over without seeing it because it was invisible against an identical background.

[Bell_ringer]

You have won the prize for most dumbass comment on this thread.

I think you've just pipped me to it and won a gold-star for being a churlish numbnut.
As long as it has made you feel a bit better about yourself then it was all worth it.

There is more to a topic like this than dissecting the million and one ways pilots are determined to fly into the ground.
If I had one of the world's wealthiest with me, I would be considering my choices carefully.
When the sherbet hits fan, lawyers come knocking and someone will have to pay.

Fact of the matter is high net worth individuals will carry limitations on their modes of transport.
Some may argue that if he were onboard a flight with a proper two-(pick the pronoun that least offends) crew, he may still be here.
Or not.

[aa777888]

Fact of the matter is high net worth individuals will carry limitations on their modes of transport.
Only if their employers (often large blocks of shareholders) or insurers require it. For a person like Kellner, this was likely not the case. He was his own boss, and almost certainly self-insured in ways that mattered in this context.

[RMK]

Fact of the matter is high net worth individuals will carry limitations on their modes of transport.


Bellringer, I assume your interaction with UHNW's is limited to flying them around "Driving Miss Daisy" style". Do you actually get a chance to sit and speak with them? I don't work in aviation; I work in finance, so this is more commonplace for me.

[jeepjeep]

foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/czech-billionaire-kellner-killed-in-alas

Bad link - 404 Error.

[nomorehelosforme]

Bellringer, I assume your interaction with UHNW's is limited to flying them around "Driving Miss Daisy" style". Do you actually get a chance to sit and speak with them? I don't work in aviation; I work in finance, so this is more commonplace for me.

“I work in finance” !!!! Whoopy f***ing Doo......

You work in finance or insurance? Last time I spoke with my finance and insurance guys they were both different entities? Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought this thread had drifted to insurance? Finally I don’t think some of those on board needed much financial advice....

[megan]

My destination was the other side of a ridge that I could see clearly in the distance on a gin clear day. Cruising along and there was a sudden squawk from the radalt and the side of a rock wizzed by my right ear. It was then, because it was now in shadow, that I saw this ridge I had just flown over without seeing it because it was invisible against an identical backgroundFrom the few details given it would seem your experience FED would be a perfect explanation.If I had one of the world's wealthiest with me, I would be considering my choices carefullyOne would hope the size of one's wallet would have no relevance to the choices made. Understand the point you make though Br.

[Arnie Madsen]

The one survivor was still in the fuselage which may have saved him ..... the other occupants were elsewhere ..... as I said earlier the 900 foot tumble down the mountain may have been more destructive than the impact ....

Survivor is in serious but stable condition .... probably the 6 hours he spent in the freezing cold would add to his complications

https://www.alaskapublic.org/2021/03/31/feds-owners-must-get-helicopter-wreckage-off-alaska-slope/

[jeepjeep]

The wreckage of a helicopter that crashed last weekend, killing five people, will have to be hoisted off a mountain by the company that owned it, a U.S. investigator said.

Hmmm. That looks like FAA is pushing the limits of their authority with that one. Are they going to order the owner to provide catered meals to the inspectors next?

[wrench1]

Hmmm. That looks like FAA is pushing the limits of their authority with that one.
FYI: The rules governing the NTSB have always been that way. The owner, or their agent, is responsible for the wreckage before, during, and after the investigation. For example, there are a number of wrecks around Alaska that were never recovered long after the NTSB was done for various reasons.

[Nubian]

Hmmm. That looks like FAA is pushing the limits of their authority with that one. Are they going to order the owner to provide catered meals to the inspectors next?

NTSB is not the FAA.
It is pretty normal to clean up your own mess, most common in cooperation with your insurance company.
Who else do you suggest should do it?!

[lederhosen]

I saw a picture of the helicopter looking reasonably intact (minus the blades obviously) and a long way below a small debris field near the ridge. I know the article says they hit just below the ridge. But is it clear they were en route and hit the ridge rather than landing to drop off skiers? It certainly looked like somewhere you could ski down. An accident involving a rotor blade strike possibly on an unmarked landing site seems at least possible.

[jeepjeep]

The reported agency mandate for airlifting the fuselage dictates means and methods for debris removal. The parties paying for debris removal no longer have the ability to control the cost of the site clean up. Sorry, I have a problem with that, and I question whether there there is actually a clear legislative mandate behind that order. Agency rules and regs are not necessarily supported by legislative mandate. That's all.

[Arnie Madsen]

The Knik Glacier area is is a national resources management area ... tourists have to carry their garbage out when they leave , and I suppose that applies to aircraft wreckage as well .... most likely it is now the insurers responsibility and they will cover the costs.

Another helicopter was used to sling the crashed machine to a building in Palmer AK where investigators will examine it.

The sole survivor has now been upgraded to good condition.

[Nubian]

I saw a picture of the helicopter looking reasonably intact (minus the blades obviously) and a long way below a small debris field near the ridge. I know the article says they hit just below the ridge. But is it clear they were en route and hit the ridge rather than landing to drop off skiers? It certainly looked like somewhere you could ski down. An accident involving a rotor blade strike possibly on an unmarked landing site seems at least possible.

The cabin of a 350, does not take much when you hit nose first at some speed. Looking at the slope, weather reports and damage to the cabin, I think bladestrike while dropping ogf the skiers is a plausible theory. Will be interesting to hear what the survivor says.

[wrench1]

The reported agency mandate for airlifting the fuselage dictates means and methods for debris removal. The parties paying for debris removal no longer have the ability to control the cost of the site clean up.
Are you implying there was an alternate method to recover the aircraft/debris other than airlifting?

[megan]

I think bladestrike while dropping ogf the skiers is a plausible theoryCan't find a photo including the cabin area, but think you may be correct.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/992x744/gb4vfbreb5bo7octfo77lkk2rm_18faabedd9210cddfe00129a8b38c4605 e21b205.jpg

[Fareastdriver]

Judging by the state of the snow cover it certainly wasn't a CFIT due to whiteout in the cruise.