Bell 206B N59541

Summary

On 16 October 2014 at about 20:15 local time, a Bell 206B registered N59541, operated by English Air Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Prattville, Alabama, 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

16 October 2014 at 20:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Prattville, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Prattville (1A9)

Coordinates

32.4386, -86.5128

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N59541

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

English Air Service Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pell City → Prattville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15CA018

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot stated that the purpose of the approximate 2-hour cross-country flight was to perform aerial mapping of powerlines. The helicopter was due for a fuel pump replacement at the end of the flight and maintenance personnel requested that the pilot land with as little fuel as possible. He departed with 60 gallons of fuel and thought he would land with about 10 gallons; however, the flight took longer than the pilot anticipated. About 2 hours, 15 minutes into the flight, as the helicopter was in a 50-foot hover over the destination airport, the engine lost all power. The pilot performed an autorotation to a taxiway, but the helicopter landed hard and the tailboom separated. The pilot added that the accident would not have happened if he followed the Federal Aviation Regulation minimum fuel requirements and had properly calculated time and fuel consumption. The pilot also reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter and examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.