ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 293789
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| Date: | Monday 16 May 2005 |
| Time: | 11:45 LT |
| Type: |  Hughes 369D |
| Owner/operator: | Windward Aviation |
| Registration: | N611WA |
| MSN: | 59-0517D |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7824 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Kihei, Maui, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Kahului Airport, HI (OGG/PHOG) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot performed an autorotation to a rocky shoreline following a partial loss of engine power during cruise flight. The helicopter's tail rotor blades impacted the ground when the helicopter slid aft on the slippery rocks following a successful landing. Post accident examination of the helicopter revealed the fuel system had been contaminated. Two days prior to the accident flight, the helicopter was examined after a fuel sample was found contaminated; however, the entire fuel system, specifically, the fuel tank, was not examined and cleaned. According to the manufacturer, if the helicopter experiences a fuel contamination, the corrective action is to "inspect and clean the fuel cell and start pump inlet screens if large amounts of foreign material are found in the engine driven fuel pump filter (or the optional airframe fuel filter if installed)." The accident helicopter was not equipped with the optional airframe fuel filter. Following the accident, the fuel tank cells were examined and contamination was noted in the tank and the fuel pump inlet screen and outlet. The contaminated fuel was introduced to the fuel system 2 days prior to the accident. The fuel came from a remotely located fuel tank that had a broken fuel tank cover, which allowed water and contaminants to enter the tank. The person who fueled the helicopter from the contaminated tank was not trained in the company's policy to conduct a daily quality assurance check, and had not sumped the tank, filters, and hoses.
Probable Cause: the partial loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. The fuel contamination was due to the failure of the maintenance personnel to ensure that the helicopter's fuel system had been thoroughly cleaned after a known previous contamination event, and the failure of company line personnel to follow the daily quality assurance checks on the company's remote based fuel supply.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX05LA176
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 7 July 2006 | N611WA | Windward Aviation, Inc. | 0 | Kihei, Maui, HI | |
sub |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Oct-2022 13:33 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
| 15-Jun-2023 05:06 | Ron Averes | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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