Hughes 369D N8653F

Summary

On 28 June 2000 at about 13:30 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N8653F was involved in an accident near Heyburn, Idaho, 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

28 June 2000 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Heyburn, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

42.5608, -113.8102

Aircraft

Hughes 369D

Registration

N8653F

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gooding → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA00LA117

Nobody was injured.

Fuel exhaustion and inaccurate fuel management. A false indication on the fuel quantity gage, and an erratic low level fuel warning system were factors.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while flying at about 70-80 feet AGL spraying an insecticide over a residential area, the audible engine out warning sounded and the engine lost power. The pilot turned the helicopter to the right and extended the glide to clear obstructions for the emergency landing in a field. The helicopter landed hard, partially collapsing the landing skids, and the main rotor blades struck and severed the tailboom. Post-accident investigation at the accident site revealed that the fuel gauges were indicating empty and that the fuel level low light did illuminate at that time. The pilot reported that he did not see a light prior to the loss of engine power. The helicopter was recovered and moved to a facility to inspect the fuel system. During the tests, it was found that the fuel-sending unit indicated more fuel on the fuel gauge than was actually on board. The low fuel warning light also did not illuminate every time. The total fuel quantity drained from the fuel tank after the accident was approximately two pints. The pilot reported that the company's fuel truck does not have a metering system and that the fuelers estimate the fuel quantity added by using a timed fuel burst. They also are supposed to verify that the aircraft's fuel gage moves when fuel is added.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.