Bell 47G N9526

Summary

On 20 August 2017 at about 16:00 local time, a Bell 47G registered N9526 was involved in an accident near St Marys, Pennsylvania, 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

20 August 2017 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

St Marys, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

41.4078, -78.5617

Aircraft

Bell 47G

Registration

N9526

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1954

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St Marys → St Marys

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA285

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's inadequate prefight planning and en route fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot stated that he departed in the helicopter with 37 to 42 gallons of fuel on board; however, he had only used an average fuel burn for his endurance estimates and did not make adjustments for pressure, temperature, or other performance metrics. He indicated that, about 2 hours into the flight, the helicopter "ran out of fuel." He performed an autorotation to a grassy lot and the helicopter landed hard, which resulted in structural damage. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the fuel system was intact, that both fuel tanks were undamaged, and that each tank contained about 1 gallon or less of fuel, which was consistent with the unusable fuel quantity for each tank. The student pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter. Thus, because the student did not account for the pressure, temperature, and other performance metrics for his preflight calculations or in-flight fuel monitoring, he did not have sufficient fuel on board to complete the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.