# Accident 20120818021559A: Bell 206B, San Juan, PR, August 18, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 18, 2012, 20:10 local time
- Place: San Juan, PR
- Airport: Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 18.4269° N, 66.0764° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=18.4269&lon=-66.0764&mi=10
- Aircraft: N118EC (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BELL 206B
- Reported engine: ROLLS-ROYC 250-C20B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 3,100 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA12TA515](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA12TA515) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120818021559A

## Narrative

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

ON AUGUST 18, 2012, THE ACCIDENT STAND BY FOR FSDO 63, SAN JUAN, WAS INSPECTOR JOSE TORRES. AT ABOUT 2048 HRS, HE WAS NOTIFIED BY THE REGIONAL OPERATION CENTER OF AN ACCIDENT THAT INVOLVED A HELICOPTER.  INSPECTOR TORRES WAS IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE NTSB AND RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS FROM INSPECTOR TODD GUNTHER. ACCORDING TO INSPECTOR TORRES THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED: THIS HELICOPTER WAS PUBLIC AIRCRAFT AND  OPERATED BY SAN JUAN POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (PILOT); ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^(COPILOT) AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (SJPD OBSERVER) AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE TAIL BOOM AND TAIL UPPER TIP WERE HIT BY THE MAIN BLADES AND SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, THE TAIL ROTOR SHAFT WAS PULLED AND BROKEN IN PIECES AND WIRE HARNESS FOR EXTERNAL LIGHTING SYSTEM WAS RIPPED OFF, NO FUEL SPILL OR ODOR WERE NOTED. DURING THE PILOT'S INTERVIEW THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED, HE DEPARTED FROM ISLA GRANDE AIRPORT (SIG) AROUND 1930 HRS AND AT 2005 HRS AN ODOR OF FUEL WAS PRESENT AND DECIDED TO RETURN TO ISLA GRANDE AIRPORT. SOON AFTER, ABOUT 35 MINUTES OF FLIGHT, THE FUEL PUMP WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON RESULTING WITH AN ENGINE FLAME OUT, IMMEDIATELY THE PIC PERFORMED AN AUTO ROTATION LANDING. INSPECTOR TORRES REMAINED AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE UNTIL THE HELICOPTER WAS PLACED ON THE FLAT BED TOW TRUCK.  ON 8/20/12 AT 0930AM, MR. TORRES MET WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF ECOLIFT REPAIR STATION AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF THE HELICOPTER IN QUESTION) AND DURING THE CONVERSATION THEY DISCUSSED THE PRELIMINARY AND IRREGULARITIES ENCOUNTERED AFTER READING THE PILOTS STATEMENTS AND THE EVIDENCE COLLECTED. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HANDED TO US, SOME DOCUMENTS WITH A REPORT THAT WAS DONE WITH THE PILOTS ON SITE AND IN WHICH THEY WITNESSED THAT THE HELICOPTER DID NOT HAVE A LEAK AFTER ADDING 10 GALLONS OF FUEL, THIS FUEL WAS DRAINED AND REFILLED WITH 55 GALLONS OF FUEL AND OBTAINED THE SAME RESULTS. THE NTSB WAS ADVISED ON THE FINDINGS AND BY THEN HE WAS IN CONTACT WITH BELL AND ROLLS ROYCE REPRESENTATIVE. THE NTSB DESIGNATED INSPECTOR WAS MR. RALPH HICKS AND HE MENTIONED THAT HE WAS NOT PLANNING TO COME TO THE ACCIDENT SITE. PICTURES WERE TAKEN AND PROVIDED TO MR. HICKS. HE REQUESTED TO HAVE THE HELICOPTER UNDER CUSTODY. ON AUGUST 21, 2012, AFTER NTSB REPRESENTATIVE, MR. HICKS, VERIFIED THE PROVIDED EVIDENCE AND PROCEEDED TO RELEASE THE HELICOPTER TO THE^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ASK THE NTSB IF HE CAN PERFORMED AN ENGINE RUN OR TEAR DOWN, MR. HICKS GRANTED THE PETITION BUT ONLY WITH AN FAA INSPECTOR PRESENT.  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INSTALLED THE ENGINE IN ANOTHER HELICOPTER AND PERFORMED AN ENGINE RUN WITH MR. TORRES PRESENCE. THEY RAN THE ENGINE FOR APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES, ALL WITHIN PARAMETERS.  A 44709 IS PLANNED FOR THE PILOT IN COMMAND.

## 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 ERA12TA515](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA12TA515), Aug 18, 2012: Bell 206B (N118EC), San Juan, PR, substantial damage. Probable cause: The crew’s inadequate preflight inspection and failure to monitor the fuel state during flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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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