maximum power in an effort to arrest the sink, but that failed and the mission pilot took the
controls. The mission pilot also unsuccessfully tried to increase power and airspeed, but
there was not sufficient power at that altitude to recover.
The helicopter impacted the trees, stopped on a sloped mountainside at approximately
8,600 feet and was damaged beyond repair. All helicopter crewmembers were treated and
released for minor injuries. There was no damage to private property.
The accident investigation board, convened by the AFSPC commander, Gen. Richard B.
Myers, concluded the helicopter crash was caused primarily due to the mission pilots flying
too low and too slow for the altitude, terrain, and winds/turbulance (sic). Once the aircraft
began to sink, they did not have enough power, airspeed, or altitude to recover.
xxii
One of the rescuers was a volunteer member of Larimer County Search and Rescue, an MRA
team.
The missing boy was never found.
"I won't get on a helicopter without a helmet any more"
On February 3, 2001, several snowmachiners triggered an avalanche on Peak 7075, on the
northern side of the Chugach Mountain Range in Alaska. Two snowmachiners were killed, four
were caught, and one was nearly caught, in a human-triggered hard slab avalanche. The fracture,
with depth ranging from 1.5 to 15-feet deep, ran more than 3,000 feet, crossed two ridges, and
cleaned out three separate bowls with two runout zones a quarter of a mile apart. The avalanche
in the main path traveled more than a half-mile and fell 1800 vertical feet. Snow was piled 35-40
feet deep in the runout zone and nearly ¼ mile wide.
xxiii
Early in day two of the rescue efforts, an Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection helicopter (a float-
equipped Robinson R-44) flew into the site to assess the additional hazard for other rescuers.
Although the weather conditions were clear, the pilot said the lighting conditions in the
valley provided little contrast (flat light). The pilot said that as he began to add power near
the termination of the landing approach, the low rotor warning horn sounded, and he
noticed that the main rotor gauge was indicating 92 to 94 percent. He reduced collective
pitch, ensured the throttle was full open, and began to initiate a go-around toward the west,
an area of lower terrain. The helicopter continued to descend, and the right front portion of
the landing gear float assembly contacted the snow. About the same time, the main rotor
contacted the slope of a small, snow-covered hill, to the right of the helicopter. The
helicopter then rolled onto its right side. After the accident, the pilot said he noted that the
wind was blowing about 10 knots from the east.
xxiv
The helicopter crashed in flat light and was heavily damaged. The pilot and two passengers were
uninjured. One of the passengers was Doug Fessler, director of the Alaska Mountain Safety
Center. Fessler has logged hundreds of hours in helicopters performing avalanche control work
and assisting in search and rescue missions. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the
crash, yet he later told this interviewer "I won't get on a helicopter without a helmet anymore!"
