ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 40786
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Thursday 20 May 1999 |
| Time: | 13:00 |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas MD 500E (369E) |
| Owner/operator: | Air 2 |
| Registration: | N144CM |
| MSN: | 0178E |
| Year of manufacture: | 1986 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 13297 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison 250-C20B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Intercession, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | External load operation |
| Departure airport: | Intercession City substation, FL |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On May 20, 1999, about 1300 eastern daylight time, a Hughes 369E, N144CM, registered to Vortex Helicopter LLC, operated by Air 2, as a 14 CFR Part 91 external load flight, crashed in the vicinity of Florida Power Corporation, Intercession City sub station, Intercession City, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot sustained serious injuries, and a lineman located on a cargo platform on the left side of the helicopter was fatally injured. The flight originated from a landing zone (LZ) located at the Intercession City substation about 1 hour 15 minutes before the accident.
The pilot was hovering out of ground effect at about 75 feet above ground level adjacent to power lines to the left of the helicopter. The helicopter started to sink. He applied right antitorque pedal and the engine noise decreased. He moved the cyclic to the right, increased collective pitch to arrest the rate of descent, and the engine out audio activated. As soon as he cleared the power lines, he lowered the collective pitch to gain rotor rpm, and applied forward cyclic in an attempt to clear a tree to his front. He realized impact with the trees was imminent, and applied aft cyclic in an attempt to make a vertical descent. The helicopter collided with trees and terrain hard in a nose low left skid low attitude. Examination of the main fuel tank revealed the fuel tank was empty and not ruptured. The engine was removed, transported to the engine manufacturer, and placed in an engine test stand. The engine started, and obtained takeoff power, and all cruise power point specifications.
Probable Cause: The pilot's improper fuel management that resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001212X18834&key=1
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 15:13 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 13-Oct-2022 05:43 | Captain Adam | Updated [Nature, Departure airport, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
| 13-Oct-2022 05:44 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo] |
| 13-Oct-2022 05:44 | Captain Adam | Updated [Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation