BRAWLEY, CA, USA
N4021A
BELL 47G2
THE PILOT VISUALLY CHECKED THE GAS TANK BEFORE TAKEOFF AND ESTIMATED THERE WAS ABOUT 1/4 TANK OF FUEL. HE THEN STARTED THE ENGINE AND HOVERED OVER TO THE WATER TANKER AND LOADED 60 GALLONS OF WATER IN THE SPRAY TANK IN ORDER TO CALIBRATE THE NUMBER OF GALLONS PER ACRE THE RIG SPRAYED. AFTER SPRAYING SOME WATER ON THE GROUND HE ASKED THE TANKER OPERATOR TO REFUEL HIS HELICOPTER BUT WAS TOLD THAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE SINCE THE PUMP WAS INOPERABLE. THE MECHANIC LOOKED IN THE GAS TANK AND TOLD THE PILOT IT WAS OK TO MOVE TO THE GAS PUMP. THE PILOT PICKED UP THE HELICOPTER AND MOVED TO AN ADJACENT WHEAT FIELD TO SPRAY OUT THE REMAINING WATER AT WHICH TIME THE ENGINE FAILED TO PRODUCE POWER. THE HELICOPTER WAS AUTOROTATED FROM AN ESTIMATED 7 FEET.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
