Bell 47G 4A N1396X

Summary

On 24 July 2015 at about 23:00 local time, a Bell 47G 4A registered N1396X, operated by Fly Right Heli LLC, was involved in an accident near Gilbert, Iowa, 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

24 July 2015 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gilbert, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

42.1694, -93.6411

Aircraft

Bell 47G 4A

Registration

N1396X

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Fly Right Heli LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Gilbert → Gilbert

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA322

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation because the available fuel shifted within the tanks due to an abrupt nose-low maneuver to avoid an obstacle, which resulted in a hard forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting an aerial application flight. The pilot reported that, while about 150 ft above ground level, he rapidly pitched the nose up to avoid an obstacle and then pitched it nose down to a steep descent angle. When the helicopter entered the nose-low attitude, the engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot subsequently made a forced landing to a corn field. The pilot reported that he thought the loss of engine power might have been due to the nose-low attitude, which allowed the fuel to shift in the tanks and starve the engine of fuel. He also reported that he never flew the helicopter with less than one quarter of the fuel tanks full (about 15.25 gallons). The helicopter's type certificate holder also noted that, if the helicopter was low on fuel and then put into an abrupt nose-low attitude, the engine could be starved of fuel. During the postaccident examination, 11 to 12 gallons of fuel were drained from the tanks. An engine test run was conducted with no abnormalities noted. Based on the evidence, it is likely that the engine was starved of available fuel due to the rapid and steep descent, which shifted the fuel in the tanks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.