Bell UH-IB N846MC

Summary

On 12 October 1996 at about 23:00 local time, a Bell UH-IB registered N846MC was involved in an accident near Bennettsville, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 October 1996 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Bennettsville, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

34.6294, -79.6804

Aircraft

Bell UH-IB

Registration

N846MC

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL97LA002

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power due to an inadequate supply of usable fuel. A factor relating to the accident was: an inoperative left boost pump, which increased the amount of unusable fuel in the respective tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was being used on an aerial application flight when it collided with the ground. There were no reported eyewitnesses to the accident. Head injuries of the pilot prevented him from giving a full account of the accident. Examination of the accident site disclosed that the tail section of the airframe collided with the ground, followed by the nose section colliding with a stump. Examination of the airframe and subsystems failed to disclose a mechanical problem. A review of the aircraft maintenance logs disclosed several open discrepancies. One discrepancy stated that the left fuel boost pump was not operational. According to the aircraft operator's manual, about 55 pounds of fuel would have been unusable in the left tank, if the boost pump was not operational. Wreckage examination revealed about 1/4 inch of fuel in the right fuel tank and about four inches (less than 55 pounds) of fuel in the left fuel tank. Neither the odor of fuel nor visible fuel leakage was noted at the accident site. Cockpit examination revealed that the left fuel pump boost circuit breaker was out. No fuel tank selector was installed in the UH-1B helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.