What happened
The accident occurred while the aircraft was in cruise flight, approximately six miles from the airport. During this phase of the flight, the engine ceased operating due to fuel exhaustion. Prior to the failure, the pilot had observed the low fuel warning light illuminate ten minutes before the engine stopped. Despite this indication, the pilot elected to continue the flight rather than divert or land immediately.
Following the loss of power, the pilot initiated an autorotation from an altitude of 1,000 feet above ground level. The aircraft landed safely in terms of maintaining structural integrity of the fuselage during the initial impact; however, upon completion of the ground run, the main rotor blades struck the tail boom. This contact resulted in the severing of the tail boom.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical state of the aircraft and the sequence of events leading to the accident. Examination confirmed that the engine failure was caused by fuel exhaustion. The pilot's decision to continue flight despite the low fuel warning was a critical factor in the outcome. No other mechanical failures were identified prior to the fuel depletion.
Findings
Contributing factors included the pilot's decision to ignore the low fuel warning light and the subsequent fuel exhaustion. The forced landing resulted in significant damage to the tail section due to rotor blade contact during the ground run.