Bell 206L-1 N27716

Summary

On 21 June 1985 at about 22:10 local time, a Bell 206L-1 registered N27716 was involved in an accident near Ghent, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

21 June 1985 at 22:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Ghent, West Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.6096, -81.0894

Aircraft

Bell 206L-1

Registration

N27716

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Executive/Corporate

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Odd → Beckley

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL85FA193

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT TOOK OFF AT 1805 WITH 150 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING, INTENDING TO FLY TO BECKLEY, WV TO REFUEL. HE STATED THAT AFTERHE WAS IN LVL FLT AT ABOUT 3000 FT MSL FOR 3 TO 4 MIN, HE NOTED AN UNUSUAL JERK OR VIBRATION IN THE REAR. SUSPECTING A PSBL TAIL ROTOR PROBLEM, HE LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE & TURNED TOWARD AN OPEN AREA. HE THEN NOTED THAT THE ENG HAD LOST POWER. DRG AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING, THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN HARD WITHOUT ENOUGH RPM TO CUSHION THE LNDG. AN EXAM OF THE FUEL SYS REVEALED THERE WAS ABOUT 20 GAL OF FUEL REMAINING. THE ENG & FUEL PUMPS OPERATED NORMALLY WHEN TESTED. HOWEVER, FURTHER CHECKS REVEALED THAT WHEN FUEL IN THE AFT TANK WAS BELOW THE STAND PIPE, FUEL WOULD LEAK TO THE FRONT TANK; ALSO, THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO INDUCED FLOW IN THE LEFT TRANSFER SYS. DISASSEMBLY REVEALED THE STANDPIPE IN THE AFT TANK WAS NOT PROPERLY ALIGNED, THUS THE O-RING WAS NOT PROPERLY SEATED, WHICH ALLOWED A LEAK. A PIECE OF MASKING TAPE WAS FND IN THE INLET TO THE LEFT TRANSFER PUMP. AS THE FRONT TANK APCHD EMPTY (DRG OPN) AIR WAS ENTRAINED IN THE FUEL.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.