- Date
- May 26, 1996, 17:29 local (May 27, 1996, 00:29 UTC)
- Place
- Walla Walla, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N174HAHiller UH-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960526011549A
- Case key
- 42372
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 inadequate preflight/planning, and his failure to refuel the helicopter with sufficient fuel before flight, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing. A factor relating to the accident was: an inaccurate fuel quantity gauge, which displayed a false indication 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 reported that he exhausted his fuel supply while attempting to land at the destination airport for refueling. He had previously attempted to refuel at a remote landing zone equipped with a fuel truck, but the fuel truck was unable to pump fuel at that time. The pilot and the owner of the operation boarded the helicopter and decided to fly to the airport with what they thought was about 14 gallons of fuel on board. The pilot intended on landing the helicopter (en route), if the fuel gauge reached the 'yellow' range during the flight. About 2.5 nautical miles from the airport, when the fuel gauge needle was slightly outside of the yellow range, the engine 'quit.' The pilot executed an immediate autorotation. One of the helicopter's skids impacted soft terrain during the landing and a main rotor blade struck the ground. The helicopter rolled over and was substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
On May 26, 1996, at 1729 Pacific daylight time, N174HA, a Hiller UH-12 helicopter, operated by Blue Mountain Aviation, Inc., collided with terrain and was substantially damaged during an emergency landing near Walla Walla, Washington. The emergency landing was precipitated by a total loss of engine power during cruise. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The business flight was conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The pilot reported that he exhausted his fuel supply while attempting to land at the Walla Walla Regional Airport for refueling. The pilot had previously attempted to refuel at a remote landing zone equipped with a fuel truck, but the fuel truck was unable to pump fuel at that time. The pilot and the owner of the operation boarded the helicopter and decided to fly to the airport with the low fuel levels that was contained in the helicopter. They stated that they had about 14 gallons of fuel on board. The pilot intended on landing the helicopter if the fuel gauge reached the "yellow" range during the flight.
About 2.5 nautical miles from the airport, when the fuel gauge needle was slightly outside of the yellow range, the engine "quit." The pilot executed an immediate autorotation. One of the helicopter's skids impacted soft terrain during the landing and a main rotor blade struck the ground. The helicopter rolled over and was substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N174HA
- Reported as
- Hiller UH-12
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3074HA
- Airframe hours
- 5,953
- Engine
- Lycoming VO-540-C2A, 305 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bma, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 10, 1996 · 187 hours before
- Departed
- WA
- Destination
- ALW · WA
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
- 54
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 14,000 total · 90 in this make and model · 13,500 as pilot in command · 185 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ALW, 2 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 N174HA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.