McDonnell Douglas 600N N609RP

Summary

On 16 July 2024 at about 05:55 local time, a McDonnell Douglas 600N registered N609RP, operated by Last Shadow, was involved in an accident near Eagle Lake, Texas, United States. 6 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 July 2024 at 05:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Eagle Lake, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.0000, -96.0000

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas 600N

Registration

N609RP

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1997

Engines

1

Operator

Last Shadow

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN24LA271

1 person was seriously injured.

The operator’s improper installation of the fuel system, which resulted in fuel starvation, a loss of engine power, and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator was providing flight services to law enforcement for training purposes at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that during the last flight of the evening, he flew the helicopter at a low altitude and at a low airspeed when the helicopter exhibited low rotor rpm. The helicopter lost partial engine power, and the pilot performed a forced landing. The helicopter was destroyed by impact forces. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed the helicopter’s fuel system was incorrectly installed and drew fuel from the forward portion of the left fuel cell, allowing air to be drawn into the fuel system when the fuel level reached an unsustainable level for engine operation. A correct installation of the fuel system would have had fuel being drawn from the aft portion of the left fuel tanks, which had about 19.5 gallons of fuel available. Maintenance entries showed that the pilot, who was also a mechanic, performed recent maintenance within the left fuel cell and such maintenance would have required the pilot to remove and visually inspect the fuel system components within the left fuel cell that were found to be improperly installed. The improper installation resulted in the fuel system not scavenging the available fuel from the aft portion of the left fuel cell.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.