- Date
- November 17, 2004, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Panama City Bch, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N595HEnstrom F-28C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20041117028899A
- Case key
- 60574
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
The pilot's improper refueling of the helicopter resulting in loss of engine power do to fuel exhaustion and damage to the helicopter during the subsequent hard forced landing.
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 pilot stated that he planned for a 45-minute sightseeing flight. He refueled the helicopter and brought the fuel level to 17 gallons. He and two passengers departed the helipad at 1422. About 38 minutes into the flight, when about 1 mile from the departure helipad, the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. He entered autorotation and when about 5 feet above the beach he applied collective control to cushion the touchdown. The helicopter touched down on a westerly heading on the wet sand with forward motion causing a nose-low attitude. The main rotor struck the ground in front of the helicopter and then struck the tailboom, shearing it off. The pilot stated he had no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter.
Factual narrative
On November 17, 2004, about 1500 central standard time, an Enstrom F-28C helicopter, N595H, had the main rotor contact the ground and the tailboom while landing on the beach at Panama City Beach, Florida, following loss of engine power do to fuel exhaustion. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 sightseeing flight. The helicopter received substantial damage and the commercial-rated pilot and one passenger were not injured. One passenger received minor injuries. The flight originated from Panama City Beach, the same day, about 1422.
The pilot stated that he planned for a 45-minute sightseeing flight. He refueled the helicopter and brought the fuel level to 17 gallons. He and two passengers departed the helipad at 1422. About 38 minutes into the flight, when about 1 mile from the departure helipad, the engine quit do to fuel exhaustion. He entered autorotation and when about 5 feet above the beach he applied collective control to cushion the touchdown. The helicopter touched down on a westerly heading on the wet sand with forward motion causing a nose-low attitude. The main rotor struck the ground in front of the helicopter and then struck the tailboom, shearing it off. The pilot stated he had no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N595H
- Reported as
- Enstrom F-28C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 372
- Airframe hours
- 4,322
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-E1AD, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wesley D. Hauk
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 30, 2004 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- Panama City Bch, FL
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 15, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,760 total · 188 in this make and model · 1,896 as pilot in command · 94 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- KPFN, 10 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.
Other investigations on N595H · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.