Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A N161SH
25 July 2014 · Osage, Minnesota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 25 July 2014 at about 16:00 local time, a Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A registered N161SH, operated by Scott Churchill, was involved in an accident near Osage, Minnesota, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Osage, Minnesota, United States
- Coordinates
- 46.9872, -95.3364
- Aircraft
- Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A
- Registration
- N161SH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1976
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Scott Churchill
- Operating rule
- Part 137: Agricultural
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Osage → Osage
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN14CA391
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The total loss of engine power due to water contamination of the fuel, which resulted in the pilot's forced landing and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the helicopter without resolving the fuel contamination.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While conducting a spray operation at 15 feet above the ground, the helicopter's engine sputtered so the pilot pulled up on the collective. The engine momentarily stopped sputtering but then began to run rough and continued to sputter. The pilot made a forced landing and the helicopter impacted the ground and rolled on its side, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and rotor blades. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed water contamination in the gascolator and the fuel tank. Also, water contamination was found in the company's bulk fuel supply tank. The pilot noted that he checked the helicopter's fuel tank three times and the samples contained water every time. The pilot discarded the samples and continued to operate with the contaminated fuel.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Continental Copters TOMCAT accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Sep 2013 | Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A | Arlington, Minnesota, United States | Scotts Helicopter Services Inc | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2015 | Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A | Elk Mound, Wisconsin, United States | Churchill, Scott | No injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 2016 | Continental Copters TOMCAT MK6B | Sparland, Illinois, United States | Hendrickson Flying Service Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 2018 | Continental Copters TOMCAT MK5A | Le Sueur, Minnesota, United States | Scotts Helicopter Service Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2010 | Continental Copters TOMCAT MK6B | Blackstone, Illinois, United States | Hendrickson Flying Service Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2019 | Continental Copters TOMCAT MK6C | Franklin, Kentucky, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Feb 2014 | Taylorcraft BC12 D | Worthington, Minnesota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Oct 2014 | Cessna 510 | Faribault, Minnesota, United States | Poet LLC | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 2014 | Cirrus SR22 | Longville, Minnesota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Jun 2014 | Brumwell RV-6 | Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 2 Aug 2014 | Hanson Lonn AVID AMPHIBIAN | Waterville, Minnesota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Jul 2014 | Stinson 108 1 | Bruno, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |