Bell 206B N651GA
18 December 2002 · Odenton, Maryland, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 December 2002 at about 14:30 local time, a Bell 206B registered N651GA, operated by Glenwood Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Odenton, Maryland, United States. 3 people were 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 14:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Odenton, Maryland, United States
- Nearest airport
- Tipton Airport (FME)
- Coordinates
- 39.0505, -76.7199
- Aircraft
- Bell 206B
- Registration
- N651GA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Glenwood Aviation LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Odenton → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC03LA031
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to monitor his fuel supply which resulted in a power loss due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot's misjudged flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot departed on an aerial photography mission in a Bell 206B helicopter with what he thought was sufficient fuel for 1.6 hours of flight at 28 gph. Returning to the airport to refuel, he experienced a power loss. A witness reported the helicopter appeared to drop in from about 20 feet. The helicopter struck the ground hard and bounced. The main rotor struck the tail boom aft of the horizontal stabilizer and it separated from the helicopter. The pilot reported that he had been airborne for 1.3 hours. The FAA inspector reported that the fuel tank was empty. Further inspection of the fuel quantity measuring system revealed that it was smooth with no hesitation felt in the sensing arm, or observed on the fuel quantity gauge. With the fuel sensing up in the full up position, the fuel quantity gauge indicated about 2 gallons less than full. With the fuel quantity arm in the lowered position, and no fuel in the tank, the fuel quantity gauge read zero or empty.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bell 206 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 2002 | Bell 206L-1 | North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Silver State Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 12 May 2002 | Bell 206B | Rosenberg, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 2002 | Bell 206B | Kingman, Arizona, United States | John McCoy | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Mar 2002 | Bell 206L-4 | Eugene Isld 188, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 20 Mar 2002 | Bell 206 B III | Anaco, Venezuela | Aerotecnica S.A. | Fatal | - |
| 25 Jul 2002 | Bell 206B | Prince George, Canada | Croman Corporation | No injuries | - |
All 1,732 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 May 2002 | Beechcraft 400A | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | Flight Options, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 2002 | Ayres S-2R | Swanton, Maryland, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 20 Jun 2002 | Mooney M20 | Hagerstown, Maryland, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Jul 2002 | Beechcraft S-35 | Clear Spring, Maryland, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 20 Oct 2002 | Boeing 757-200 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | Icelandair - Fkygkeudur HF | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 2002 | Cessna 172K | Patuxent River, Maryland, United States | Patuxent River Naval Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |