ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 168635
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Saturday 26 July 2014 |
| Time: | 14:30 |
| Type: |  Bell 206B JetRanger |
| Owner/operator: | Samaritan Air Inc |
| Registration: | N240SJ |
| MSN: | 2354 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7216 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls Royce 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Lincoln, Nebraska -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Bennet, NE |
| Bennet, NE | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that he refueled the helicopter from a stationary fuel tank that the operator had recently had filled. After sumping the helicopter’s fuel tank and the airframe fuel filter and noting that the strained fuel was absent of debris and water, the pilot departed on the flight. About 12 to 15 minutes into the flight, the engine lost total power. The pilot made a low-altitude autorotation to a field, and the helicopter subsequently slid about 10 to 15 ft and struck a berm. No preaccident mechanical deficiencies were found that would have precluded normal operation of the engine.
The pilot said that he thought the power loss was due to fuel contamination, so he sumped fuel from the helicopter and the storage tank, and the fuel from each source was dark brown with visible contaminants. Postaccident examination of a large sample of fuel drained from the storage fuel tank confirmed that the fuel was brown with visible contaminants. The tank’s filter was also found to be contaminated, and sludge was observed in the bottom of the tank. Contaminated fuel was found in the helicopter’s fuel tank and fuel filter bowl, and the fuel nozzle was covered with a hardened dark brown substance.
Review of fueling records revealed that the fuel contractor had delivered a 1,000-gallon fuel storage tank labeled “diesel” to the fueling site and that the contractor placed 920 gallons of Jet A fuel in the tank 14 days later (5 days before the accident). It could not be determined what type of fuel was in the tank before it was filled with Jet A fuel.
Probable Cause: A total loss of engine power due to fuel contamination, which resulted from the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection. Contributing to the accident was the operator’s failure to properly maintain the fuel storage tank.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N240SJ
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Aug-2014 03:31 | Geno | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 30-Nov-2017 18:50 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation