Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Ghent, West Virginia 25843
Friday, June 21, 1985 18:10 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PLT TOOK OFF AT 1805 WITH 150 LBS OF FUEL REMAINING, INTENDING TO FLY TO BECKLEY, WV TO REFUEL. HE STATED THAT AFTERHE WAS IN LVL FLT AT ABOUT 3000 FT MSL FOR 3 TO 4 MIN, HE NOTED AN UNUSUAL JERK OR VIBRATION IN THE REAR. SUSPECTING A PSBL TAIL ROTOR PROBLEM, HE LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE & TURNED TOWARD AN OPEN AREA. HE THEN NOTED THAT THE ENG HAD LOST POWER. DRG AN AUTOROTATIVE LANDING, THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN HARD WITHOUT ENOUGH RPM TO CUSHION THE LNDG. AN EXAM OF THE FUEL SYS REVEALED THERE WAS ABOUT 20 GAL OF FUEL REMAINING. THE ENG & FUEL PUMPS OPERATED NORMALLY WHEN TESTED. HOWEVER, FURTHER CHECKS REVEALED THAT WHEN FUEL IN THE AFT TANK WAS BELOW THE STAND PIPE, FUEL WOULD LEAK TO THE FRONT TANK; ALSO, THERE WAS VIRTUALLY NO INDUCED FLOW IN THE LEFT TRANSFER SYS. DISASSEMBLY REVEALED THE STANDPIPE IN THE AFT TANK WAS NOT PROPERLY ALIGNED, THUS THE O-RING WAS NOT PROPERLY SEATED, WHICH ALLOWED A LEAK. A PIECE OF MASKING TAPE WAS FND IN THE INLET TO THE LEFT TRANSFER PUMP. AS THE FRONT TANK APCHD EMPTY (DRG OPN) AIR WAS ENTRAINED IN THE FUEL.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/21/1985 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 1810 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | GHENT |
| Event State | WEST VIRGINIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 25843 |
| Event Date Year | 1985 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | BKW |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 11 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 178 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1750 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 178 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | BKW |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 2504 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 10 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 6500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 4000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 23 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 14 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 210 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 3850 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1550 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 22 1985 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 930 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 28925 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:15AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N27716 |
| NTSB Number | ATL85FA193 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BELL |
| Aircraft Model | 206L-1 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 206L-1 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 45293 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 4050 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | May 29 1985 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 22 |
| Airframe Hours | 27496 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | AMERICAN NATURAL RESOURCES COA |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 1871 |
| Aircraft Owner City | ROANOKE |
| Aircraft Owner State | VA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 24008 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Executive/Corporate |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | NONE |
| Departure City | ODD |
| Departure State | WV |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1805 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | BKW |
| Destination City | BECKLEY |
| Destination State | WV |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:36AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |