Bell 206B N59551

Summary

On 1 September 1999 at about 13:15 local time, a Bell 206B registered N59551 was involved in an accident near Delhi, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 September 1999 at 13:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Delhi, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N59551

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

LAX99LA293

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadequate preflight, which failed to detect water contamination of the fuel system. The operator's inadequate maintenance of the loose fitting fuel cap and the deformed filler opening, which allowed water to leak into the fuel tank, were also causal. A factor in the accident was the trees along the autorotative flight path, which required the pilot to stretch the glide and resulted in a low main rotor rpm situation for the landing flare.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the engine rpm began decreasing during the takeoff climb, about 200 to 300 feet agl, while he was over a grove of trees. He extended his autorotative glide to make it past the trees, which resulted in a further decrease of main rotor rpm. The helicopter landed hard, about 20 to 30 miles per hour of forward velocity, and rolled over. Postcrash examination by a FAA inspector revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction; however, the fluid found in the airframe fuel filter and mechanical fuel pump screen was noted to be about 90 percent water. About 30 percent of the fluid found in the Ceco fuel system screen was also water. The FAA inspector reported that the fuel cap was loose in the opening and did not appear to seal properly; the shaft seal was worn in the cap and the cap locking mechanism was not adjusted properly. When the fuel cap was removed, the inspector noted that the bottom of the fuel filler opening was deformed from the fuel nozzles being inserted in the opening. The pilot reported that he had washed the helicopter the night before the accident. He further reported that during the preflight he had drained fuel from the airframe fuel filter and fuel sump and hadn't noted any water or contaminants.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.