Plane Crash List

Bell-Transworld 47D1 N2875F

9 February 2017 · Archer City, Texas, United States · Serious injuries

Summary

On 9 February 2017 at about 20:30 local time, a Bell-Transworld 47D1 registered N2875F was involved in an accident near Archer City, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 20:30
Classification
Accident
Location
Archer City, Texas, United States
Coordinates
33.6628, -98.7444
Aircraft
Bell-Transworld 47D1
Registration
N2875F
Category
Helicopter
Year built
1976
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Holliday → Holliday
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
CEN17LA113

People

1 person was seriously injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 1 0 0

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation, which resulted from the pilot’s inadvertent positioning of the mixture control to the “fuel cutoff” position.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that he departed from his ranch and was flying about 100 ft above ground level and at 50 knots. He intended to position the carburetor heat to "on," but he inadvertently positioned the mixture control to the "fuel cutoff" position instead, and the engine lost total power. He immediately entered an autorotation, but because the helicopter was so low and slow, there was insufficient time and altitude to flare the helicopter. He stated that the airspeed decreased and that the main rotor blade stalled, which caused the helicopter to just "drop." The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot's inadvertent positioning of the mixture control to the "fuel cutoff" position resulted in fuel starvation and the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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All 170,864 records in United States