MD Helicopters 369E N4278T

Summary

On 16 May 2011 at about 18:05 local time, a MD Helicopters 369E registered N4278T was involved in an accident near Victoria, Texas, United States. 4 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

16 May 2011 at 18:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Victoria, Texas, United States

Coordinates

28.8844, -96.8386

Aircraft

MD Helicopters 369E

Registration

N4278T

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Victoria → Houston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA339

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to ensure that the governor limit switch was properly set, which resulted in reduced engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after departure, the pilot observed the engine-out caution light and received an audible alarm. The pilot then saw the automatic re-ignition light illuminate. Since the engine appeared to be operating at a reduced power setting, the pilot elected to perform a run-on landing. During the landing, the helicopter encountered a ditch, and the tail rotor struck the ground. A postaccident examination of the helicopter found that the fuel control governor limit switch, located on the pilot's collective, was set near the minimum limit (low power setting). No other anomalies were found with the airframe. The engine was removed and run on a testing system with no defects noted. According to the helicopter manufacturer, the warnings and power reduction that the pilot observed were consistent with the position of the limit switch as found. Therefore, it is likely that the reduction in engine power resulted from the improper setting of the governor limit switch.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.