# NTSB CEN22LA305: Bell 206B, N882NY, East Troy, WI, July 1, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: July 1, 2022, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC) - Place: East Troy, WI - Coordinates: 42.777654, -88.388804 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.7777&lon=-88.3888&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 105427 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN22LA305 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/105427/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105427 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN22LA305 ## Probable cause The pilot’s improper fuel management that resulted in fuel exhaustion and a loss of engine power. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid management (probable cause); cases with it: [Bell 206B, 15 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=1181511), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Bell 206B, 15 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=1181511), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Bell 206B, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md?model=1181511), [All aircraft, 719 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) (defining event); cases with it: [Bell 206B, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=1181511), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) ## Analysis While approaching to land on a support truck, the helicopter experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot attempted to autorotate to land and the helicopter experienced a hard landing. The right skid broke, and the main rotor blades struck the ground and the tail boom. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. The pilot attributed the loss of engine power due to a possible fuel pump failure. During a telephone interview the pilot said that he took off from the airport ramp to refuel and the fuel gauge indicated about 15 to 20 gallons. He climbed the helicopter to about 40 ft, flew about 150 yards, and landed on a support truck where the helicopter idled for about 15 minutes while ground personnel attempted to get the truck fuel pump to work. One of the ground personnel waved the pilot off to another support truck. The helicopter climbed to about 40 ft and moved about 35 - 50 yards to a second support truck. As the helicopter approached to land, the tachometer dropped then spiked, and then the engine lost power. The pilot nosed the helicopter over to avoid the truck and the helicopter hit the ground. When asked the pilot answered, "I guess I ran out of fuel". A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed that the fuel tanks were dry and the fuel gauge indicated 0 gallons of fuel. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N882NY](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N882NY-2024-04-13), registration cancelled 2024-04-13, S/N 882, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BELL 206B - Registry model: [Bell 206B](https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-206b) (registry code 1181511) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Allison 250-C20 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/allison-250-c20-series) (registry code 03020, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 882 - Year built: 1972 - Airframe hours: 23771 - Engines: Allison 250-C20 420 horsepower turbo shaft - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: MF Helicopters LLC - Registered owner: MF Helicopters LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal; Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, May 1, 2022 - Destination: Same as departure - Airport: 57C, East Troy Muni - Equipment: Unknown ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 37; injuries: none; commercial, private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, without waivers/limitations; last flight review January 27, 2022; seat: right; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 2,858 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 5° at 8 knots - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 61 °F - Altimeter: 29.27 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20220701005109A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220701005109A), Jul 1, 2022: Bell 206B, East Troy, WI, Substantial damage. The accident occurred on July 01, 2022, at East Troy Airport (57C). N882NY, a Bell B206 helicopter, lost power during an attempted landing on a fuel bowser… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 26, 2022, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105427. 4.3 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 983 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14611550&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - FAA inspector statement and pilot interview (item 2, PDF, 2 pages, 534 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14611900&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Binder1_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Photographs (item 3, PDF, 4 pages, 2.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14611940&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photos%20for%20docket-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.