On June 19, 1984, a Bell 47G-4 (registration N73276) was involved in an aviation accident near Pine, CO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision to continue flight despite indications of low fuel, resulting from misplaced trust in the fuel gauges, which led to fuel exhaustion and engine failure. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot was forced to land after approximately 15 minutes of flight time when the engine quit. The pilot autorotated into an open field, citing misplaced trust in the fuel gauges as the cause.
What happened
The aircraft experienced an engine failure approximately 15 minutes into the flight. Unable to maintain power, the pilot executed an autorotation and landed the aircraft in an open field. Post-incident inspection revealed that only about 1.5 gallons of fuel remained in the tanks.
The investigation
A review of the available data indicated that the aircraft has a total fuel capacity of over 61 gallons, with approximately 4 gallons designated as unusable. The discrepancy between the expected fuel load and the remaining amount suggested a significant depletion during the flight phase.
Findings
The pilot stated that he placed too much faith in the fuel gauges, which likely led to an inaccurate assessment of the available fuel supply. This reliance on potentially faulty instrumentation resulted in fuel exhaustion. The event highlights the critical importance of verifying fuel quantities through direct measurement rather than relying solely on gauge readings.
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to continue flight despite indications of low fuel, resulting from misplaced trust in the fuel gauges, which led to fuel exhaustion and engine failure.
