Incident Overview
On an unspecified date, an aerial spray helicopter departed at approximately 1150 with the pilot and the tree tract owner on board to define the tract boundaries. The lift-off appeared and sounded normal to ground crew support personnel who observed the departure.
Search and Discovery
After thirty minutes without any contact or sight of the rotorcraft, the ground crew became concerned and initiated a search. At 1504, the wreckage was located by a police helicopter search near the edge of a clearing.
Crash Site Examination
Postcrash examination of the crash site indicated that the rotorcraft collided with two large trees before impacting the terrain approximately 60 feet into the clearing.
Mechanical and Systems Inspection
Examination of the engine, drive-train, transmission, airframe, rotors, and flight controls revealed that the engine was not producing power prior to impact. Inspection of the fuel system disclosed that the airframe fuel filter's wing-nut drain had been positioned and locked in the 'drain' position, and there was very little fuel aboard—either in the fuel cell or in the engine's fuel lines.