What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Initial witness interviews indicate the engine quit while in level cruise of approx 1000 feet AGL followed by the main rotor stopping shortly after the engine quitting. Aircraft impact signature shows vertical impact with no rotation of the main rotor. Main fuel tank empty and estimated .5 gallons of fuel in the aux tank. No indications of fuel spillage at the site. Suspected fuel starvation and failure on the pilot to execute autorotative glide to landing iaw emergency procedures. (-23 amendment) inital witness interviews indicate the engine quit while in level cruise of approximately 1000 feet AGL followed by the main rotor stopping shortly after the engine quitting. Aircaft impact signature vertical impact with no rotation of the main rotor or the engine showing to be operating at impact. Surrounding corn field where the impact site was showed sufficient evidence of the fuel tanks having a significant amount of fuel on board. The fuel main fuel tank cap was not attached to the tank at the impact site, but was laying adjacent to the aircraft wreckage. The corn stalks surrounding the impact site gave evidence of chemical burns to the stalks as a result of the spraying on the onboard fuel at the time of impact. No evidence of the engine being in operation at the time of impact. The rotors shows evidence of any rotation.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) INITIAL WITNESS INTERVIEWS INDICATE THE ENGINE QUIT WHILE IN LEVEL CRUISE OF APPROX 1000 FEET AGL FOLLOWED BY THE MAIN ROTOR STOPPING SHORTLY AFTER THE ENGINE QUITTING. AIRCRAFT IMPACT SIGNATURE SHOWS VERTICAL IMPACT WITH NO ROTATION OF THE MAIN ROTOR. MAIN FUEL TANK EMPTY AND ESTIMATED .5 GALLONS OF FUEL IN THE AUX TANK. NO INDICATIONS OF FUEL SPILLAGE AT THE SITE. SUSPECTED FUEL STARVATION AND FAILURE ON THE PILOT TO EXECUTE AUTOROTATIVE GLIDE TO LANDING IAW EMERGENCY PROCEDURES. (-23 AMENDMENT) INITAL WITNESS INTERVIEWS INDICATE THE ENGINE QUIT WHILE IN LEVEL CRUISE OF APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET AGL FOLLOWED BY THE MAIN ROTOR STOPPING SHORTLY AFTER THE ENGINE QUITTING. AIRCAFT IMPACT SIGNATURE VERTICAL IMPACT WITH NO ROTATION OF THE MAIN ROTOR OR THE ENGINE SHOWING TO BE OPERATING AT IMPACT. SURROUNDING CORN FIELD WHERE THE IMPACT SITE WAS SHOWED SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OF THE FUEL TANKS HAVING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD. THE FUEL MAIN FUEL TANK CAP WAS NOT ATTACHED TO THE TANK AT THE IMPACT SITE, BUT WAS LAYING ADJACENT TO THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE. THE CORN STALKS SURROUNDING THE IMPACT SITE GAVE EVIDENCE OF CHEMICAL BURNS TO THE STALKS AS A RESULT OF THE SPRAYING ON THE ONBOARD FUEL AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. NO EVIDENCE OF THE ENGINE BEING IN OPERATION AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. THE ROTORS SHOWS EVIDENCE OF ANY ROTATION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.