Accident Flight
A commercial certificated helicopter pilot was returning to base after departing a remote glacier on an air tour flight with four passengers aboard a single-engine, emergency float-equipped helicopter. The helicopter was flying along the edge of a fjord, adjacent to steep terrain, at about 2,200 feet mean sea level when the engine lost power. The pilot entered an autorotation and selected an emergency landing area at the rocky edge of the fjord.
Emergency Float Deployment
During the autorotation, the pilot pulled the manual activation handle to deploy the emergency floats, but they did not deploy. The pilot did not use the electrical emergency float deployment switch. Postaccident examination of the helicopter's emergency float system disclosed that the manual activation cable was improperly rigged.
Ditching and Evacuation
The pilot landed the helicopter in the water on a rocky shelf. The pilot and passengers exited the helicopter into waist-deep water and gathered on the rocks. The helicopter remained upright for a short time, then sank.
Fuel Examination
The pilot reported that the helicopter was fueled before departure, with fuel quantity at 50 to 55 percent at takeoff. When departing the glacier on the accident flight, the fuel quantity was 30 to 35 percent. The flight from the glacier to the operator's base should have taken about 20 minutes. The pilot reported that the operator records total daily fuel use for its fleet but does not maintain individual fuel records for each helicopter.
After recovery, examination revealed that the fuel tank contained about 32 percent fluid, which was sea water except for about 1.5 quarts of fuel. Fuel was found in the airframe fuel filter and in the fuel line from the filter to the engine fuel control. The fuel tank has an internal resistor-type fuel probe incorporating a float, with a low fuel level position that should illuminate a low fuel annunciator. The fuel tank also incorporates a vent tube at the top to allow atmospheric air pressure to enter. The operator had marked fuel quantity level lines on the exterior of the tank depicting fuel level and percent of fuel at each line.
Postaccident Findings
A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no mechanical abnormality. A functional test of the fuel probe was not completed due to damage received in the accident.