ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 199110
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| Date: | Sunday 20 August 2017 |
| Time: | 12:00 |
| Type: |  Bell 47G-2A |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N9526 |
| MSN: | 1288-16 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1954 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 13300 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming VO-435-A1D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Elk County, St. Marys, Pennsylvania -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | St. Marys Airport, PA (STQ/KOYM) |
| St. Marys Airport, PA (STQ/KOYM) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The student pilot stated that he departed in the helicopter with 37 to 42 gallons of fuel on board; however, he had only used an average fuel burn for his endurance estimates and did not make adjustments for pressure, temperature, or other performance metrics. He indicated that, about 2 hours into the flight, the helicopter “ran out of fuel.” He performed an autorotation to a grassy lot and the helicopter landed hard, which resulted in structural damage. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel system was intact, that both fuel tanks were undamaged, and that each tank contained about 1 gallon or less of fuel, which was consistent with the unusable fuel quantity for each tank. The student pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter. Thus, because the student did not account for the pressure, temperature, and other performance metrics for his preflight calculations or in-flight fuel monitoring, he did not have sufficient fuel on board to complete the flight.
Probable Cause: The student pilot's inadequate prefight planning and en route fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=9526
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 11 August 2009 | N9526 | Private | 0 | Covert, Michigan | |
sub |
| Fuel starvation | ||||||
Location
Images:
Photo: FAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Aug-2017 11:00 | gerard57 | Added |
| 21-Aug-2017 15:45 | Anon. | Updated [Location] |
| 21-Aug-2017 16:16 | Geno | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Apr-2019 14:43 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 15-Apr-2019 16:04 | harro | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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