- Date
- February 4, 1993, 07:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Jacksonville, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N711CHHughes 269A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 10, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930204001659A
- Case key
- 33222
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 failure of the pilot-in-command to monitor fuel quantity due to inattentiveness. Contributing to the accident was the improper use of the collective flight control during the soft field autorotation.
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 took off with about 10 gallons of fuel in the helicopter. About 40 minutes later during the termination of the traffic watch when on approach to the airport, the engine failed due to fuel exhaustion. During the touchdown following the autorotation, the skids dug into the soft ground and the helicopter rolled over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N711CH
- Reported as
- Hughes 269A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0531
- Airframe hours
- 5,149
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-B1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Operator
- Chappell Flight Service
- Registered owner
- Chappell Flight Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 15, 1993 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- 23J
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
- 28
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 664 total · 157 in this make and model · 215 as pilot in command · 82 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CRG, 9 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.