Bell 206B N125TA

Summary

On 25 November 2003 at about 13:08 local time, a Bell 206B registered N125TA was involved in an incident near Venice, Louisiana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 November 2003 at 13:08

Classification

Incident

Location

Venice, Louisiana, United States

Nearest airport

None

Coordinates

29.9933, -90.0817

Aircraft

Bell 206B

Registration

N125TA

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pascagoula → Venice

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW04IA043

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the forward boost pump while in cruise flight while operating with less than 10 gallons of fuel onboard, which resulted in a loss of engine power. A factor was the inoperative forward fuel boost pump caution light switch.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot calculated the positioning flight would take approximately 42 minutes. He departed with 33 gallons of fuel indicated, which allowed enough fuel to reach the destination, plus reserve. The helicopter does not have another means of checking fuel quantity except for the fuel gauge in the cockpit. While en route, the pilot noticed that the fuel gauge needle was "sticking", and jumped from 14 gallons down to 7 gallons, which alerted his attention that there was less fuel than originally indicated. At that point, the helicopter was about 7 miles short of the destination, and the pilot elected to continue. Approximately one minute later, the fuel boost pump caution light flickered, and approximately 15 seconds later the engine "flamed out." As the engine spooled down, the fuel gauge indicated 6 or 7 gallons. The pilot performed an autoration, deployed the floats, and landed in shallow water. Examination of the helicopter revealed the forward boost pump was inoperative, the switch to the forward boost pump caution light did not work, and approximately 6.5 to 7 gallons of fuel were drained from the tank. According to the Bell 206B Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), "Due to possible fuel sloshing in unusual attitudes or out of trim conditions and one or both fuel boost pumps inoperative, the unusable fuel is 10 gallons." Though it is possible for a pilot to test both boost pumps prior to flight, there was no directive outlined in the POH for a pilot to do so. As a result, the operator examined their remaining Bell 206B fleet and ensured the forward and aft fuel boost pumps, and both fuel pressure switches operated as required. All systems operated properly. In addition, the Before Starting Engine checklist was revised to include a functional test of each fuel boost pump and caution light.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.