HUGHES 369A MAKES AN OFF FIELD LNDG ACCOUNT FUEL STARVATION.

Date: 2002-07 · Aircraft: Helicopter · Phase: cruise

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-less-severe|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|other-fuel-starvation

Synopsis

HUGHES 369A MAKES AN OFF FIELD LNDG ACCOUNT FUEL STARVATION.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING BACK FROM ZZZ WITH ANOTHER COMMERCIAL RATED HELI PLT AFTER COMPLETION OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FLT. THIS FLT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER CFR 14; FAR 91. AT ABOUT 10 NM NE OF THE FIELD; I SAW THE LOW FUEL LIGHT COME ON AND THE HELI LOST COMPLETE ENG PWR DUE TO LOW FUEL. WE FOUND A SUITABLE LNDG SITE. NO HARD LNDG WAS MADE. NOBODY WAS HURT AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT AND OTHER PROPERTY. AFTER TOUCHDOWN; FUEL GAUGE WAS SHOWING AROUND 25-30 LBS. AFTER REFUELED ACFT; OUR MECH CHKED THE ACFT AND WE DETERMINED THAT THIS ACFT IS SAFE TO FLY BACK TO OUR HOME BASE. I MADE EXTENSIVE PREFLT PLANNING FOR THIS TRIP ESPECIALLY FUEL FLOW FOR EVERY MIN IN THE PWRED FLT CONFIGN; INCLUDING START-UPS AND SHUTDOWNS; IN ACCORDANCE WITH FLT MANUAL. I'D FLOWN THE ACFT BY TIME; NOT FOR FUEL GAUGES; SINCE I AM STILL NEW TO THE ACFT AND I COULD NOT PREDICT HOW ACCURATE IT IS. THEREFORE; I PLANNED TRIP WITH EXTRA MARGINS BUT IT DID NOT WORK AND RESULTED IN A FORCED LNDG. THIS HELI I WAS IN WAS ORIGINALLY USED BY THE UNITED STATES GOV IN THE 1970'S AND CONVERTED TO CIVILIAN NORMAL CATEGORY IN THE LATE 1990'S. RARE IN THE CIVILIAN WORLD; THIS MEANS LESS RESOURCE AND HARD TO GET INFO FOR THIS HELI. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE IS TO SET A SPECIFIC REFUEL PROC AND FLT DURATION LIMITATION FOR THE ACFT. FOR EXAMPLE; WHEN I FLY THIS HELI AGAIN; I SET 200 NM DISTANCE LIMITATION; OR 2 HRS FLT DURATION; WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. THEN; REGARDLESS OF FUEL QUANTITY (GAUGE OR ESTIMATED FUEL REMAINING); YOU WILL REFUEL THE ACFT. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IDEA CAN WORK WELL FOR EVERY ACFT IN THE WORLD.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.