- Date
- December 12, 1988, 14:18 local (20:18 UTC)
- Place
- Kountze, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N58261Hughes 369D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881212054029A
- Case key
- 22714
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
False indications of the fuel quantity system, which led the pilot to believe ha had more fuel than he did.
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 helicopter was being used to dispense fertilizer from a bucket on a line. When the engine lost power from fuel exhaustion, the plt tried to drop the bucket, but it would not release. Subsequently, the bucket & line became tangled in trees & the helicopter touched down hard on the front end of the left skid. The tailboom was chopped off & the helicopter came to rest on its side. The plt rprtd that during the flt, he noticed the fuel gauge reading seemed to stay at about 120 lbs, but he did not suspect a problem, since he had never had a previous problem with the gauge.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58261
- Reported as
- Hughes 369D
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1280417D
- Airframe hours
- 6,273
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 133
- Operator
- Gradney Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Gradney Helicopters, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 27, 1988 · 30 hours before
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 2,700 in this make and model · 5,900 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BPT, 25 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.