- Date
- August 4, 1990, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fitchburg, MA
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N750LTBell 206B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 6, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900804030289A
- Case key
- 36710
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 failure to assure that adequate fuel was on board for the flight.
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
Prior to departing a golf course in berlin, MA, for Fitchburg, MA, the pilot added 2 to 2-1/2 gals of unleaded automobile fuel because the aircraft was low on fuel. While starting a flare for landing at Fitchburg, the engine flamed out and the helicopter landed hard. The main rotor blade severed the tailboom. Examinatiion revealed that there was no usable fuel remaining on board. Indications are that the pilot had been flying with the caution breaker pulled because the engine chip lights were on. The pulled breaker would also prevent the low fuel light from coming on.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N750LT
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1767
- Airframe hours
- 4,000
- Engine
- Allison 206, 410 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Joseph T. Duggan, III
- Registered owner
- Jet Copter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1990
- Departed
- ORH · Worcester, MA
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
- 35
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 700 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N750LT · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.