- Date
- June 9, 1992, 12:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Punta Gorda, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N46937Hiller UH12C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920609019159A
- Case key
- 33099
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 in command's failure to monitor fuel consumption and flight time resulting in exhaustion of fuel and engine failure. Contributing to the accident was the pilot in command's improper autorotation following engine failure which resulted in a hard 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 aircraft was refueled to capacity and departed at 1045 local time. At 1250 local time the flight expereinced complete loss of engine power and while making an autorotative landing the helicopter touched down hard. Postcrash examination of the helicopter by FAA inspectors revealed the helicopter contained about 2 quarts of fuel. No evidence of precrash or postcrash fuel leakage was noted. The aircraft has a 26.5 usable fuel capacity and consumes about 13 gallons per hour. The aircraft had been flying 2 hours 5 minutes at the time of engine failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46937
- Reported as
- Hiller UH12C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 862
- Airframe hours
- 3,703
- Engine
- Franklin GV3354B, 210 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Arthur H. Jocher
- Registered owner
- Arthur H. Jocher
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 24, 1992 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- X14 · Labelle, FL
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,942 total · 45 in this make and model · 1,808 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FMY, 20 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.