# Accident 19961012032179A: Bell UH1B, Bennettsville, SC, October 12, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 12, 1996, 19:00 local time
- Place: Bennettsville, SC
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Pwr Off Run Land (Autorotation
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 34.6294° N, 79.6804° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.6294&lon=-79.6804&mi=10
- Aircraft: N846MC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N846MC-1997-03-21) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bell UH-1B (registry code 1181410, https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-uh-1b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL UH1B
- Reported engine: LYC T53L11D
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL97LA002](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA002) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961012032179A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

COLLIDED WITH GROUND DURING AG OPS. FUEL PUMP INOP. FUEL STARVATION. TAIL ROTOR HIT, THEN NOSE HIT A STUMP. (-23) AIRCRAFT WAS REPORTEDLY APPLYING CHEMICALS WHEN ENGINE QUIT.  AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE NO FUEL ODOR OR FUEL LEAKAGE WAS OBSERVED AND THE LEFT FUEL BOOST CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS OUT.  FOUND THAT THE LEFT FUEL BOOST PUMP WAS WRITTEN UP IN LOGBOOK AS INOPERATIVE.  AFTER AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED FROM SITE A VISUAL INSPECTION REVEALED THE FUEL CELLS INTACT WITH 1/4" OF FUEL IN RIGHT TANK AND ABOUT 4" OF FUEL IN LEFT TANK.  THE AIRCRAFT OPERATORS MANUAL STATES THAT IF THE LEFT FUEL BOOST PUMP IS INOPERATIVE THERE IS APPROXIMATELY 55 POUNDS OF UNUSABLE FUEL IN THE LEFT FUEL TANK.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ATL97LA002](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA002), Oct 12, 1996: Bell UH-IB (N846MC), Bennettsville, SC, destroyed. Probable cause: the pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power due to an inadequate supply of usable fuel. A factor relating to the accident was: an inoperative…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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