- Date
- April 5, 1989, 13:27 local (18:27 UTC)
- Place
- West Cameron
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5004LBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890405006609A
- Case key
- 22765
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
Inadequate maintenance/inspection of the aircraft fuel system by company maintenance personnel and fuel contamination, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power. Related factors were: a binding (stuck) fuel filter cap bypass valve and partial failure (intermittent operation) of the respective annunciator light system.
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 had svrl inflt eng decelerations that maintenance efforts did not isolate. After replacing the eng fuel controller, a test flt was made (from an oil drilling platform). Drg the flt, the eng surged, then decelerated. The plt was unable to reach the helipad. He elected to land on the platform, short of the helipad, rather than accept sea conds of 8 ft waves. Drg the landing, the helicopter was damaged. A post-acdnt exam revealed fuel contamination had occurred. Contamination had bypassed filters in the fuel sys & had clogged & collapsed the eng fuel nozzle screen. The airframe fuel filter cap bypass vlv was fnd stuck open in the bypass mode. A pin (connected to the fuel filter cap impending bypass test button) was fnd bent, holding the bypass vlv open. An open bypass vlv should have illuminated a respective annunciator light in the cockpit; however, when checked, the annunciator light operd only intermittently due to a faultycomponent in the sys. Drg tests, the clogged/collapsed fuel screen prevented sufficient fuel flow to sustain eng power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5004L
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2451
- Airframe hours
- 6,728
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 235 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Industrial Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Notlef, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 17, 1989 · 42 hours before
- Airport
- WC26 · West Cameron, Blk 266
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,008 total · 4,540 in this make and model · 6,740 as pilot in command · 117 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 25 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.