- Date
- August 26, 1984, 13:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Michigan City, IN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5983XBrantly Helicopter B-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840826043489A
- Case key
- 12752
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Loss of engine power(total) - nonmechanical
Engine instruments,fuel quantity gage - false indicationFactor
Aircraft preflight - improperFactor
Complacency
Fluid,fuel - exhaustionCause
Fuel consumption calculations - not performedCause
Roll over
Airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - high vegetation
Analysis
The engine quit as a result of fuel exhaustion. Twenty ounces of fuel remained in the tank. The pilot stated he was flying on the aircraft's fuel gage which indicated three eights of a tank remained. An autorotation was initiated, but the landing skid caught on farm equipment and the helicopter rolled over on landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5983X
- Reported as
- Brantly Helicopter B-2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 127
- Airframe hours
- 768
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William E. Blair
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- La Porte, IN
- Destination
- MGC · Michigan City, IN
- Airport
- MGC · Michigan City
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 529 total · 116 in this make and model · 470 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.