Hughes 369D N868W

Summary

On 30 March 2012 at about 21:30 local time, a Hughes 369D registered N868W, operated by DAH Aircraft LLC, was involved in an accident near McCormick, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 March 2012 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

McCormick, South Carolina, United States

Coordinates

33.9081, -82.2667

Aircraft

Hughes 369D

Registration

N868W

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

DAH Aircraft LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

MCCormick → Aiken

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA260

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's decision to use automotive fuel instead of the approved alternate fuel, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was en route to his destination airport and had not obtained a weather briefing. A weather front came through, and the wind changed from a tailwind to a headwind, so he could not reach is destination and diverted to an alternate airport to refuel. However, he landed at the wrong airport, and that airport did not have any Jet A fuel. He observed an automotive gas station and flew to it and landed in the grass nearby, even though he did not know what the approved alternate fuel was for the turbine engine. He purchased 25 gallons of 87 octane automotive fuel and placed it in the helicopter’s fuel tank. According to the engine manufacturer, automotive fuel is not an approved fuel on the list. He started the engine and departed. He was about 150 to 200 feet above the ground when the engine lost power. The engine-out audio and low-rpm audio sounded. He lowered the collective pitch as much as possible to clear a power line and reach an open field. Once clear of the power line, he lowered the collective pitch to the full-down position. The helicopter touched down hard in a tail-low attitude. The nose pitched downward, the tail boom separated, and the helicopter slid forward and rolled over on its right side. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.