Bell 206B N39MK

Summary

On 21 July 2022 at about 15:00 local time, a Bell 206B registered N39MK was involved in an accident near Kenton, Ohio, 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

21 July 2022 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Kenton, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

40.6430, -83.6047

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N39MK

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kenton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA330

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a 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 was uncertain how much fuel was onboard the agricultural application helicopter before 8 to 10 gallons were added prior to departing on the accident flight. The helicopter had been filled with minimal fuel because of a heavy load of pesticide. After a flight to the field of about 4 minutes, he started the aerial application. During his first pass the engine rpm started to drop; he did not have enough altitude to initiate an autorotation and the helicopter descended before colliding with the ground. A postaccident examination of the fueling system revealed no fuel remained within the intact fuel tank. Additionally, examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. Based on this information, the engine likely lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.