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| Date: | Thursday 2 March 2023 |
| Time: | 16:00 LT |
| Type: |  Bell UH-1B Iroquois |
| Owner/operator: | Porter Flying Services Inc |
| Registration: | N234SJ |
| MSN: | 388 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1962 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 8295 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming T53-L-13B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Orland, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Chico, CA |
| Chicoc, CA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that, during the final run for the aerial application flight, he noticed the engine spooling down. He attempted to land on a nearby road but collided with the terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter or engine that would have precluded normal operation and that the loss of engine power was due to fuel exhaustion.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR23LA118
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 16 October 2003 | N234SJ | Porter Flying Services, Inc. | 0 | Durham, California | |
sub |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Jun-2023 07:52 | ASN Update Bot | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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