ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 368928
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| Date: | Friday 14 April 1989 |
| Time: | 12:55 LT |
| Type: |  Hiller UH-12D |
| Owner/operator: | Mountain Air Helicopter |
| Registration: | N14490 |
| MSN: | 1003 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2098 hours |
| Engine model: | LYCOMING VO-540-C2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Bolinas, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
DURING AN EXTERNAL LOAD OPERATION, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT AUTOROTATED INTO A SURF TIDAL POOL RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE HELICOPTER RAN OUT OF FUEL. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE NORMALLY 'STAKED' THE FUEL TANKS BEFORE APPROXIMATELY 95% OF HIS FLIGHTS BUT INDICATED THAT HE DID NOT CHECK THE FUEL LEVEL BEFORE THIS FLIGHT. HE ALSO INDICATED THAT BOTH THE FUEL GAUGE AND THE CLOCK IN THE AIRCRAFT WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT.
Probable Cause: THE PILOT'S POOR PREFLIGHT PLANNING IN THAT HE DID NOT ACCURATELY ACCOUNT FOR THE FUEL ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT AS A BASIS FOR FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS THEREBY CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STOP PRODUCING POWER BECAUSE OF A LACK OF FUEL. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE INACCURATE FUEL GAUGE AND CLOCK IN THE AIRCRAFT THAT THE PILOT WAS AWARE OF BEFORE THE FLIGHT.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX89LA169
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Mar-2024 09:01 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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