Incident Overview
A helicopter experienced a loss of engine power during a landing approach, resulting in a hard touchdown. The pilot reported that prior to the 15-minute flight, the fuel gauge indicated 125 pounds of fuel, and at the accident site, it indicated 90 pounds.
Post-Crash Inspection Findings
A post-crash inspection of the fuel system revealed that three support brackets were not installed in the fuel cell. The absence of these brackets permitted the fuel cell to collapse as fuel was consumed, leading to erroneous fuel gauge readings. Furthermore, the fuel low caution indicator was found to be inoperative because a cannon plug was improperly wired. Only a trace of fuel remained in the tank after the incident.
Fuel System Condition
The malfunctioning fuel gauge and inoperative low-fuel warning system together prevented the pilot from accurately assessing the remaining fuel quantity. The collapsed fuel cell likely caused the gauge to indicate a higher fuel level than actually present, leading to fuel exhaustion during the flight.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot's statement, the flight duration was approximately 15 minutes. The engine power loss occurred as the helicopter was landing. The hard touchdown followed the loss of power. No further details about the aircraft or occupants were provided in the source.