McDonnell Douglas 600N N451DL

Summary

On 6 February 2007 at about 18:00 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 600N registered N451DL was involved in an accident near Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States. 2 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.

Date

6 February 2007 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Vicksburg Municipal Airport (KTVR)

Coordinates

32.4547, -90.9728

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas 600N

Registration

N451DL

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Granada → Vicksburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW07CA065

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as result of a fuel transfer check valve stuck in the closed position. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter landed hard following a loss of engine power during cruise flight. The pilot was en route to refuel his single-engine turbo-shaft powered helicopter. The pilot stated in the Pilot/Operator Accident/Incident Report (NTSB form 6120.1) that the aircraft was in cruise flight at an indicated airspeed of 115 knots while at 500 feet above ground level when the engine lost power without warning. The pilot added that following the loss of engine power, he immediately entered autorotation and landed on a logging road surrounded by tall trees. The aircraft sustained structural damage to the tailboom and main rotor blades during the forced landing. The helicopter came to rest in the upright position. A detailed investigation was conducted on the fuel system by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and a representative from the helicopter manufacturer. Their investigation revealed that a fuel transfer check valve located in the aft section of the fuel tank that receives fuel from the forward section of the fuel tank, was found stuck in the closed position, which resulted in fuel starvation to the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.