- Date
- September 1, 1983, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Portales, NM
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N277SPHughes 500D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830901045999A
- Case key
- 21046
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.
Analysis
The plt landed at Portales, NM with about 7 gal of jet fuel remaining in the fuel tank. Since jet fuel was not available, he added 15 gal of 100 low lead avgas, which was an approved alternate fuel. Shortly after taking off, the eng flamed out & the plt was unable to obtain a restart. During an emerency landing, the tail boom & main rotor blades were damaged. The plt stated that the start fuel pump was in the 'on' position in accordance with the flt manual & that the autorelight sys was armed. The eng was disassembled but no cause for the flameout was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N277SP
- Reported as
- Hughes 500D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 290461D
- Airframe hours
- 3,209
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 375 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Southwestern Public Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 31, 1983 · 3 hours before
- Destination
- Clovis, NM
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
- 30
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,738 total · 351 in this make and model · 1,576 as pilot in command · 190 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N277SP · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.