20000617010289A

(-23) On June 17, 2000, approximately 1500 mountain daylight time, an Enstrom 280C helicopter, N440RB, was substantially damaged following an autorotation near sierra blanca regional airport, Ruidoso, n.m. the commercial pilot and his two passengers received minor injuries, visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot stated that he was in cruise flight when he began having problems with the engine. As power deteriorated, he autorotated to ground. (.4) on June 17, 2000, approximately 1500 MDT, an Enstrom 290CB helicopter, N440RD, was substantially damaged following an autorotaion near sierra blanca regional airport, Ruidoso, new Mexico. The commercial pilot and his two passengers received minor injuries. The pilot was operating the helicopterunder title 14 CFR part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local sightseeing flight that originated approx. 20 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed. The pilot said he departed (with full tanks) el paso, Texas, and flew approx.2 hours to Ruidoso, new Mexico. His plan was to give helicopter sight seeing rides to people at a local fair. The pilot's ground support partner was planning to intermittently fuel the a/c's right saddle tank with 5 gallon cans to maintain a 25% fuel load. The pilot said that he or his partner would "stick the two tanks" at regular intervals to determine the fuel quantity. The a/c manufacturer made the fuel measuring stick, and it read 10 gallons, 20 gallons, and full. If you measure one tank, the stick's calibration reads total fuel (assuming that the a/c is level and that the fuel levels are in homeostasis). Neither the pilot nor the ground support partner could remember how much fuel had been put in the right fuel tank or when both tanks were last "sticked." The pilot said that the first three rides were approx. 3 to 6 minutes in length. On the next ride (the 5th flight for the day), the apssengers requested to be flown over their house, which was located approx. 14 nautical miles from the takeoff point. When the pilot returned from that flight, two more people from the same family requested the same residence flyby. The pilot could not remember if the helicopter was serviced during the passenger change. During the return flight, his ground support partner asked the pilot by radio if he would need fuel when he landed, he responded that he would. The pilot said that as he approached the airport in cruise flight, he began having aproblem with the engine. He said that the power continued to deteriorate, and he began to look for an emergency landing site. Because of transmission wires and trees, he had to stretch his autorotaion to reach the selected site. The pilot said that he felt the helicopter's sink rate increase, but had insufficient main rotor RPM to slow the descent rate. The helicopter impacted the ground hard and "spin 180 degrees opposite from the direction of flight". During the landing dequences, the main rotor blades cut off the tail boom and slapped the ground. The left skid supports were broken and the helicopter came to rest leaning on its left side. The pilot said that before the helicopter was recovered, he "sticked" the left tank and it indicated that there were 9 gallons remaining. It was not determined if there was nay fuel in the right tank; the interconnect line would have permitted fuel to flow from the right tank to the left tank.