- Date
- August 10, 1989, 16:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Nanuet, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N16929Bell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 17, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890810028749A
- Case key
- 36456
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 preflight planning/preparation by the pilot, which resulted in fuel exhaustion due to an inadequate supply of fuel.
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 checked the fuel prior to departure from white plains and it showed about 15 to 18 gals remaining. About 5 miles east of ramapo, he noticed a rapid decrease in the fuel and ascended to about 2200 feet. The fuel pump warning light started to flicker and he immediately descended for a emergency landing. The heliocpter started to yaw. The pilot then made a hover autorotation, but the helicopter was damaged during the landing. Except for the lack of fuel, no preimpact failure or malfunction of the helicopter was evident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16929
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2314
- Airframe hours
- 4,033
- Engine
- Allison 250-C20B, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Eagle Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Robert Buss
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 12, 1989 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- HPN · White Plains, NY
- Flight plan
- 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
- 23
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 150 in this make and model · 1,050 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °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.