What happened
On March 27, 2021, an Airbus AS350B3 helicopter, registration N351SH, was conducting a heliskiing excursion in the backcountry near Palmer, Alaska. The aircraft crashed into a mountain ridge located between Metal Creek and Grasshopper Valley at an altitude of approximately 5,500 feet. The impact occurred roughly 10 to 15 feet from the summit before the wreckage tumbled downhill for several hundred feet.
The flight ended around 18:35 AKDT. Authorities were not alerted to the missing aircraft until two hours after its tracking signal ceased transmission. Of the six individuals on board, five perished in the incident. Among the deceased was Czech entrepreneur Petr Kellner, who reportedly survived the initial impact but died while awaiting rescue. The sole survivor sustained severe frostbite and tissue damage to his hands and was rescued approximately six hours after the crash.
Investigation
The wreckage was transported to Anchorage for detailed examination. A preliminary report released in April 2021 indicated that GPS data showed the helicopter hovering at low speed and altitude over the ridge during its final three minutes. The final investigation concluded that the primary cause was the pilot's failure to properly manage whiteout conditions.
Contributing factors included inadequate pilot training by the operator, which failed to address inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions, and insufficient oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration regarding the approval of that training program. The severity of the survivor's injuries was exacerbated by the significant delay in notifying search and rescue teams.
Findings
The accident highlights critical failures in pilot competency evaluation for whiteout conditions and regulatory oversight. The operator's training protocols did not adequately prepare pilots for sudden weather changes, while FAA inspectors approved these deficient programs without ensuring compliance with safety standards.