ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 175307
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| Date: | Thursday 18 November 2004 |
| Time: | 12:58 |
| Type: |  Hiller UH-12B |
| Owner/operator: | Pulse Helicopter Corp |
| Registration: | N33514 |
| MSN: | 659* |
| Year of manufacture: | 1954 |
| Engine model: | Franklin 6V335B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Sywell Aerodrome, Hall Farm, Sywell, Northamptonshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire (EGBK) |
| Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire (EGBK) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Ex-US Army 51-16408. To US Civil registry as N33514. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 18-11-2004 when crashed at Sywell Aerodrome, Hall Farm, Sywell, Northamptonshire. The aircraft ran out of fuel transitioning to the hover during an approach to land. The fuel gauge was reading approximately 25% full at the time. Investigations revealed that the fuel gauge fitted was not approved for use on aircraft. No injuries reported to the two persons on board (pilot and one passenger). According to the following excerpt from the official AAIB re;port into the accident:
"The pilot, who had 7,152 hours of which 16 were on type, had agreed to take two associates of the owner for short flights from Sywell Airfield. The weather was poor with a 600 foot cloud base, 3,000 metres in light drizzle and light and variable winds. The pilot assessed the weather as suitable for hovering and low level circuits. After attempting to fly with both passengers on board, which he decided did not give enough power in hand, he took each passenger for a separate flight.
After he returned with the second passenger the owner asked him to take up a third person. Third passenger climbed into the helicopter rotors running. However, after approaching to land from this third detail, at approximately 60 feet agl and speed of 40 knots the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot put the helicopter into auto-rotation, concentrating his efforts on maintaining a level attitude while attempting to cushion the touchdown with collective.
The helicopter touched down without significant yaw and with some forward speed, but it bounced some feet into the air, hit the ground a second time right skid low, the rotor disc then toppled causing the main rotor blades to strike and sever the tail boom. Neither pilot nor passenger were injured and there was no fire.
Tests done by the AAIB showed that while there was still fuel in the tanks, it was close to the minimum usable and that fuel flow ceased when the nose was pitched up, as would be the case when the helicopter was transitioning into the hover; accounting for the sudden power loss. They felt that the pilot’s action with the helicopter saved him and the passenger from injury. They recommended that the pilot and owner establish a better knowledge of the helicopter’s fuel consumption, with records of flying time and fuel consumed, particularly in the hover, and less reliance on the gauge, which can often be faulty."
Nature of Damage to airframe: Per the AAIB report "Tail boom severed, damage to main rotor blades, one skid bent and engine crankcase fractured". However, the US registration N33514 was not cancelled until 04-06-2013, almost nine years later.
*NOTE: The aircraft c/no is stated on the FAA registration document as "51-16408", which is, in fact, its US Army serial number. The REAL c/no. was 659
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/54230475e5274a1314000bfb/Hillier_12_OH-23B__N33514_8-05.pdf
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=33514
3. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1951.html
4. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=3346
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Apr-2015 13:29 | Noro | Added |
| 07-Aug-2016 01:14 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Date, Time, Registration, Cn, Operator] |
| 07-Aug-2016 01:24 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Date, Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 07-Aug-2016 18:10 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Total occupants, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 07-Aug-2016 18:10 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Phase, Narrative] |
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