MD Helicopters 369 N119T

Summary

On 17 March 2019 at about 23:05 local time, a MD Helicopters 369 registered N119T was involved in an accident near Newberg, Oregon, 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

17 March 2019 at 23:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Newberg, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Sportsman (2S6)

Coordinates

45.3303, -122.9683

Aircraft

MD Helicopters 369

Registration

N119T

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Beaverton → McMinnville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA097

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent 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 pilot and his passenger were enroute to an airport to refuel when the engine lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing in an open field, during which the helicopter landed hard and rolled over. No fuel was found inside the helicopter’s fuel tank following the accident. During an engine test run, the engine started normally and operated through all power settings with no evidence of a mechanical anomaly. The helicopter was fueled to capacity about two weeks before the accident and, at the time of the accident, had flown a total of about 2 hours, 44 minutes since it was fueled. The pilot reported that the helicopter’s fuel consumption rate was between 14 and 16 gallons per hour (gph); however, the owner’s manual performance charts indicated a consumption of 21 gph, and during the postaccident test run, the engine consumed about 26 gph at approximate cruise power demands. At these fuel consumption rates, the helicopter’s fuel endurance with full fuel was between 2 hours, 35 minutes, and 2 hours, 54 minutes. It is likely that the pilot miscalculated the amount of fuel needed for the flight using incorrect fuel consumption rates, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.