WILLITS, CA, USA
N90944
KAMAN HH-43F
THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED A SERIES OF LOGGING OPERATIONS AND WAS RETURNING TO THE LANDING SITE WHEN THE ENGINE FLAMED OUT. THE PILOT EXECUTED A SUCCESSFUL AUTOROTATION ONTO THE SIDE OF A HILL. AFTER LANDING, HOWEVER, THE HELICOPTER ROLLED DOWN THE HILL AND COLLIDED WITH A TREE. THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY FUEL IN THE ENGINE FUEL SYSTEM OR ANY PREEXISTING MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES.
On October 30, 1994, at 1245 hours Pacific standard time, a Kaman HH-43F helicopter, N90944, crashed about 5 miles east of Willits, California. The pilot was returning to the landing area after completing a Title 14 CFR Part 133 logging operation. The helicopter, operated by Skyhook, Inc., Bend, Oregon, was destroyed. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at a private airstrip (Williams Ranch) near Willits, California, at 1040 hours. National Transportation Safety Board investigators conducted a telephone interview with the operator on October 30, 1994. The operator said the pilot was returning to the airstrip for fuel when the engine "flamed out." The pilot executed a successful autorotation to the side of a hill. However, after the touchdown, the helicopter rolled over and rolled down the hill and collided with a tree. An inspector (airworthiness) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Oakland [California] Flight Standards District Office conducted the on-scene investigation. The inspector reported that the engine system did not contain any fuel. He also said that there was no evidence of any preexisting malfunctions or failures. Neither the operator nor the pilot submitted the required Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1/2. The pilot's flight times noted in this report were obtained from the helicopter's insurers.
the pilot's improper fuel consumption calculations resulting in fuel exhaustion. The hilly terrain was a factor in this accident.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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