ERA22LA330

The pilot was uncertain how much fuel was onboard the agricultural application helicopter before 8 to 10 gallons were added prior to departing on the accident flight. The helicopter had been filled with minimal fuel because of a heavy load of pesticide. After a flight to the field of about 4 minutes, he started the aerial application. During his first pass the engine rpm started to drop; he did not have enough altitude to initiate an autorotation and the helicopter descended before colliding with the ground. A postaccident examination of the fueling system revealed no fuel remained within the intact fuel tank. Additionally, examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. Based on this information, the engine likely lost power due to fuel exhaustion.

On July 21, 2022, about 1500 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206B, N39MK, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Kenton, Ohio. The commercial pilot was not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 agricultural flight. According to the pilot, before the flight the helicopter was filled with minimal fuel because of a heavy load of pesticide. He said he received about 8 to 10 gallons of Jet-A fuel and flew over to the crop field. He flew about 4 minutes over to the field and started the aerial application. During his first pass he noticed the engine rpm starting to drop. He did not have enough altitude to initiate an autorotation and the helicopter descended and collided with the ground. The pilot did not know how much his total fuel quantity was before the flight but said he “used a 5-gallon mark as our zero mark to ensure we have enough fuel.” Postaccident examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the fuselage and the skids were buckled. An examination of the fueling system revealed no anomalies with the fuel lines or fuel tank. The fuel tank cell was found empty of fuel and not breached. An examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. A review of fuel flow chart excerpts for the 206B revealed that the general fuel consumption rate was about 25 gallons per hour. At this rate, the flight time with 8 to 10 gallons of fuel would be about 20-25 minutes.