- Date
- August 16, 1992, 16:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Ship Shoal 90
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N295EHMBB BO 105CBS-4
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920816031829A
- Case key
- 18557
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
Loss of power to both engines from fuel starvation due to the pilot's failure to switch on the main fuel boost pumps.
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 in cruise flight over the gulf of Mexico when the number one engine lost power followed by the number two engine. The pilot initiated an autorotation to the water. The post-accident examination of the helicopter revealed the forward and aft main fuel boost pumps were not switched 'on' by the pilot. The boost pumps direct fuel to the supply tank. Eighty gallons of fuel remained in the main fuel tank. No mechanical anomalies were noted to the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N295EH
- Reported as
- MBB BO 105CBS-4 (BO 105CBS-)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S847
- Airframe hours
- 2,035
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 345 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Era Aviation, Inc., doing business as Era Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Era Helicopters Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- AAIP · June 23, 1992 · 235 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Grn Canyon 184, GM
- Destination
- HUM · Houma, LA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 9,212 total · 3,783 in this make and model · 140 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 70 °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.