Incident Overview
A commercial pilot was concluding a timber spraying operation and heading back to the staging area when the incident occurred. While at cruise flight, the pilot felt a surge of engine power that was quickly followed by a complete loss of power. The pilot selected a forced landing area and entered an autorotation. However, the helicopter collided with trees in a heavily wooded area.
Post-Accident Actions
After the helicopter came to rest, the pilot removed the fuel filters to examine them for contamination but was unable to determine if contamination was present. Subsequent recovery of the helicopter revealed that no fuel was found in the fuel tanks. Additionally, the helicopter was not equipped with a fuel quantity gauge for each tank, as required by Federal Regulations.
Mechanical Findings
No other mechanical or flight control malfunctions were found with the helicopter beyond the engine power loss and the absence of fuel in the tanks.