ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 294086
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| Date: | Friday 18 February 2005 |
| Time: | 11:30 LT |
| Type: |  Bell 206L-3 |
| Owner/operator: | Rotorcraft Leasing Company, LLC |
| Registration: | N512RA |
| MSN: | 51218 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1987 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 8778 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce 250-C30 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Cameron, Louisiana -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Cameron, LA |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
After a normal power check of the turbine-powered helicopter, the engine lost power as the 14,490-hour airline transport rated helicopter pilot initiated takeoff from an offshore platform. Realizing that he could not safely return to the platform, the pilot turned into the wind, entered autorotation, and deployed the skid mounted emergency floats. The seas were high, and upon contact with the water, the helicopter filled with water, inverted, and partially submerged. No mechanical anomalies were found upon examination of the engine. A fuel sample from the airframe fuel filter canister contained a yellowish-tan contaminant that had separated from the fuel in the sample. Additionally, a yellowish-tan shiny substance was found on the paper folds of the airframe fuel filter. The fuel cells were drained and boost pumps removed. Some contamination was found on the boost pump assemblies' exterior surfaces and on the bottom of the main fuel cell. Both left and right in-line fuel filters between the front and rear fuel tanks also exhibited contamination. The investigation revealed the engine fuel nozzle screen was blocked and collapsed due to a contaminant. One of the fuel facilities that the helicopter had been recently refueled had samples that tested positive for bacterial/fungal growth.
Probable Cause: Fuel starvation due to a blocked and collapsed fuel nozzle screen, resulting from a contaminated fuel source/facility. Factors were the inadequate maintenance/inspection of fuel sources, and the lack of suitable terrain (high sea state) for the forced landing at sea.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB DFW05LA074
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 26 August 2002 | N801HM | U.S. Forest Service | 0 | Saguache, Colorado | |
sub |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Oct-2022 17:05 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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