Bell 47D N39KH
5 August 2000 · Stockton, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 5 August 2000 at about 00:24 local time, a Bell 47D registered N39KH, operated by Pablo M. Ejarque, was involved in an accident near Stockton, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 00:24
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Stockton, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Stockton Metropolitan (SCK)
- Coordinates
- 37.8944, -121.2386
- Aircraft
- Bell 47D
- Registration
- N39KH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Pablo M. Ejarque
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fresno → Stockton Metro
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX00LA288
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate planning by which he miscalculated fuel consumption which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial pilot performed an autorotative landing to an open field following a loss of engine power while in cruise flight. The skids contacted a berm on touchdown, and the helicopter began rocking. As the helicopter pitched fore and aft, the main rotor blades and tail rotor blades contacted the ground. The single engine helicopter utilized a single-tank fuel system capable of containing 29 gallons of fuel. The pilot anticipated a 16 g.p.h. fuel-flow, and determined he had an endurance of 1 hour 48 minutes. The helicopter engine run time was 1 hour 35 minutes prior to losing power. The pilot's post accident inspection of the aircraft revealed that the fuel load had been exhausted. He indicated in the accident report, under the section titled "Recommendation (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented)," that he could have conducted "more planning on cross-country flights."
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 47 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 2000 | Bell 47G-3B-2 | Pine Hill, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Apr 2000 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Stanwood, Washington, United States | Gable, Stephen, L. | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Mar 2000 | Bell 47G-4A | Wasco, California, United States | Inland Crop Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2000 | Bell 47G-2A | Covington, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jul 2000 | Bell 47G-3B-1 | Holstein, Nebraska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 2000 | Bell 47G | Vacaville, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,633 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Aug 2000 | Piper PA-30 | Davis, California, United States | Travis AFB Aeroclub | No injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 2000 | Cessna 150H | Corona, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Feb 2000 | Cessna 182L | Coulterville, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 31 May 2000 | Cessna 152 | Palm Springs, California, United States | The FLT School At Palm Springs | Fatal | 2 |
| 6 Nov 2000 | Cessna 340A | Selma, California, United States | Yecny Enterprises, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Feb 2000 | Cessna 172N | Palm Springs, California, United States | Bermuda Dunes Air Service | Minor injuries | - |