Bell 206B N802KA

Summary

On 10 February 2013 at about 17:00 local time, a Bell 206B registered N802KA, operated by Sycan Corp DBA, was involved in an accident near Shandon, 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.

Date

10 February 2013 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Shandon, California, United States

Coordinates

35.9394, -120.2122

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N802KA

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Sycan Corp DBA

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shandon → Shandon

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13CA120

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he intended to spray an agricultural field and was maneuvering in preparation for the first pass when the helicopter lost engine power. The pilot subsequently accomplished a forced landing to an open field. During the landing sequence, the helicopter’s main rotor blades flexed down and made contact with the tailboom, which resulted in substantial damage to the tailboom assembly. The pilot reported that after the landing he discovered the fuel selector valve in the off position. He reported that he had turned the fuel selector valve to the off position to drain the fuel sump during the preflight; however, he failed to re-open the valve after the preflight and prior to takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.