Garlick Helicipters OH-58A N59MH

Summary

On 13 May 2004 at about 11:35 local time, a Garlick Helicipters OH-58A registered N59MH was involved in an accident near Columbia, Maine, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 May 2004 at 11:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Columbia, Maine, United States

Coordinates

44.6583, -67.7750

Aircraft

Garlick Helicipters OH-58A

Registration

N59MH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbia → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC04LA122

Nobody was injured.

A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a forced landing during cruise flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had been flying uneventfully for approximately 2 hours. The helicopter then landed in a private field, where additional chemical spray and fuel was loaded. About 1 minute after takeoff from the private field, at 200 feet agl, the engine lost partial power. The pilot attempted to perform a run-on landing to a field; however, the helicopter impacted trees prior to the field. Following the accident, a test run of the engine was performed using the original fuel control unit, power turbine governor, and engine fuel pump. The engine ran continuously at 95 percent power, with no interruptions or discrepancies noted. A fuel sample was recovered from the helicopter 6 days after the accident, and tested about 2 months later. The test revealed 800 parts per million (ppm) of water present. A fuel sample was also recovered from the fueling truck. Testing of that sample revealed 4 ppm of water present. In addition, the fuel truck was used before and after the accident with no problems noted. According to the Aviation Fuel Quality Control Handbook, the maximum acceptable level of free and dissolved water was 60 ppm.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.