ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 290460
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| Date: | Friday 25 July 2014 |
| Time: | 11:00 LT |
| Type: | Continental Copters El Tomcat Mk V-A |
| Owner/operator: | Scott Churchill |
| Registration: | N161SH |
| MSN: | 1921 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2132 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming VO-435 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Osage, Minnesota -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Osage, MN |
| Osage, MN | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While conducting a spray operation at 15 feet above the ground, the helicopter's engine sputtered so the pilot pulled up on the collective. The engine momentarily stopped sputtering but then began to run rough and continued to sputter. The pilot made a forced landing and the helicopter impacted the ground and rolled on its side, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and rotor blades. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed water contamination in the gascolator and the fuel tank. Also, water contamination was found in the company's bulk fuel supply tank. The pilot noted that he checked the helicopter's fuel tank three times and the samples contained water every time. The pilot discarded the samples and continued to operate with the contaminated fuel.
Probable Cause: The total loss of engine power due to water contamination of the fuel, which resulted in the pilot's forced landing and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the helicopter without resolving the fuel contamination.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN14CA391
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 06-Oct-2022 15:24 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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