Accident Overview
A commercial certificated pilot was operating a helicopter air tour over glaciers and mountainous terrain under Title 14, CFR Part 135 when the aircraft inadvertently struck terrain while maneuvering in reduced visibility. The helicopter sustained substantial damage upon impact with an all-white snow and ice field.
Weather and Visibility Conditions
According to a passenger's video recording, another air tour helicopter pilot, and passenger accounts, the weather was characterized as foggy with whiteout and flat light conditions. One passenger remarked that she wondered how the pilot could see to fly in such weather.
Pilot and Passenger Statements
An FAA inspector interviewed the pilot shortly after the accident. The pilot stated he was maneuvering the helicopter over the ice field but did not see the snowfield or ground due to flat light conditions. Another passenger told the inspector that he also did not see the ground before impact, describing the surroundings as all white around the helicopter.
Equipment and Regulatory Context
The accident helicopter was not equipped with a radar altimeter. In 2002, following a series of similar accidents involving helicopters colliding with snow and ice fields in flat light and whiteout conditions—several in the same geographic area as this accident—the NTSB recommended that the FAA require all commercial passenger-carrying helicopters operating over areas prone to flat light or whiteout to be equipped with radar altimeters (NTSB Recommendation A-02-035). As of February 2007, the NTSB had classified the FAA's response to that recommendation as "Open--Unacceptable Response."