Accident Overview
On May 30, 2009, at approximately 1200 central daylight time, a Bell 47G-2 helicopter, registration N4823, sustained substantial damage after a fire ignited during refueling at a remote field location near Kyle, Texas. The helicopter was operated by Hardtime Helicopters, Inc., of D’Hanis, Texas, as a visual flight rules (VFR) agricultural application flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.
Incident Details
According to written statements from the operator, the pilot, and a ground crewmember, the pilot was belted in the left pilot seat with the engine and rotor system operating at ground idle. The removable cockpit doors were not installed. The ground crewmember was attempting to "hot refuel" the helicopter using a 35-foot refueling hose attached to a 100-gallon fuel tank on a pickup truck parked next to the helicopter. The ground crewmember stood on the forward cross tube of the helicopter with the nozzle inserted in the left fuel tank when he noticed no fuel flow. He removed the nozzle and placed it on the helicopter's chemical tank, then dismounted and went to a kinked portion of the hose. As he straightened the kink, the nozzle immediately began spraying gasoline on the engine and the pilot before igniting. The fuel spray continued for several seconds then stopped. The pilot exited the helicopter unassisted and extinguished the flames on himself by slapping his body and arms. The ground crewmember assisted by pouring water on the pilot and then called 9-1-1.
Post-Accident Observations
The pilot reported that no fire extinguisher was in the helicopter, and he was not aware of one in the truck or the chemical trailer attached to it. No attempts were made to extinguish the fire on the helicopter until emergency responders arrived. Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 00-34A, Aircraft Ground Handling and Servicing, paragraph 9(g)(5), recommends that fuel-dispensing vehicles be equipped with appropriate fire extinguishers, but federal aviation regulations do not require fire extinguishers on agricultural aircraft or fuel-dispensing vehicles.