ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – A helicopter that crashed into the frozen tundra of Alaska’s North Slope in early June — killing two onboard — was carrying a pilot on his first flight with a passenger in that area and was designated for bird research, according to a preliminary report.
The prelim report, published Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board, details the minutes before the Robinson R66 turbine-powered helicopter went down on June 4, killing the pilot and the passenger, who have yet to be identified.
The NTSB also reported that the pilot — who was piloting his first flight on the North Slope with a passenger — was flying under special visual flight rules (VFR), which can be requested when weather conditions are less than optimal, giving the aircraft complete ownership of take-off airspace until the pilot confirms with air traffic control that they’ve departed…