- Date
- July 31, 2012, 08:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wainwright, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Prior to flight
- Aircraft
- N74496Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Prior to flight: Wrong fuel
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120731018369A
- Case key
- 84552
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of ground personnel to ensure the helicopter was serviced with the proper fuel. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to monitor the fueling process.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After landing at the airport, the pilot asked ground personnel to fuel the helicopter while he prepared a sling load for his next flight. The pilot said that while he was weighing the sling load cargo on a nearby scale, the ground crew finished fueling the helicopter. The pilot then signed the fuel delivery manifest for the 25.4 gallons of aviation fuel. Shortly thereafter, the pilot boarded the helicopter and started the engine. He said that after liftoff, he picked up the 775-pound sling load and then departed toward his destination. About 10 to 15 seconds after takeoff, the engine began to run rough and lose power, so the pilot elected to land, but while attempting to set the sling load on the ground, all engine power was lost. The low rotor warning horn sounded, the pilot entered a low-altitude emergency autorotation and attempted to cushion the landing, but the helicopter landed hard. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail rotor drive system. A postaccident examination revealed that the reciprocating engine helicopter had been inadvertently serviced with Jet A turbine fuel. In a written statement, the ground personnel who fueled the helicopter stated that they thought they were fueling the helicopter with aviation gas, but they were using the same trailer that they used to fuel larger (turbine-powered) helicopters.
Factual narrative
After landing at the airport, the pilot asked ground personnel to fuel the helicopter, while he prepared a sling load for his next flight. The pilot said that while he was weighing the sling load cargo on a nearby scale, the ground crew finished fueling the helicopter. The pilot then signed the fuel delivery manifest for the 25.4 gallons of “avgas” aviation fuel. Shortly thereafter, the pilot boarded the helicopter and started the engine. He said that after liftoff he picked up the 775 pound sling load, and then departed towards his destination. About 10 to 15 seconds after takeoff the engine began to run rough and lose power, so he elected to land, but while attempting to set the sling load on the ground, all engine power was lost. The low rotor warning horn sounded, and the pilot entered a low altitude emergency autorotation and attempted to cushion the landing, but the helicopter landed hard. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, and tail rotor drive system. A postaccident inspection by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the reciprocating engine helicopter had been inadvertently serviced with Jet A turbine fuel. In a written statement given to the FAA inspector, the ground personnel who fueled the helicopter stated that they thought they were fueling the helicopter with avgas, but they were using the same trailer that they used to fuel larger (turbine powered) helicopters.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N74496
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 10755
- Airframe hours
- 2,752
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External load · Part 133
- Operator
- Pollux Aviation Ltd
- Registered owner
- Pollux Aviation Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- PAWI · Wainwright, AK
- Destination
- Wainwright, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 30, 2012
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 1,330 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 50 °F
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 2, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.