| Crash location | 36.422778°N, 121.343889°W |
| Nearest city | Soledad, CA
36.424687°N, 121.326319°W 1.0 miles away |
| Tail number | N4741R |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 23 May 2006 |
| Aircraft type | Bell 47-G5 |
| Additional details: | None |
On May 23, 2006, about 0720 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 47-G5, N4741R, crashed in a field following a loss of engine power near Soledad, California. The owner was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The aerial application flight departed from the Soilserv Soledad Yard, about 0520, with a planned destination of R.C. Salmina Ranch. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilot submitted a written report. He performed a preflight at 0505, and checked the fuel quantity with his fingers. The level in the tank was approximately 1 inch below the cap. About 0520 he started the engine. The pilot left Soledad yard at 0525. He flew about 5 minutes to the next field, landed, and shutoff the helicopter to wait for the truck. About 0550 he started the engine again and sprayed three loads on the first field. Ten minutes later, the pilot flew to the second field. He had to land and shutdown the engine because of ground crew problems. About 0620 he started the helicopter again and sprayed the second field with two loads. From 0625 to 0715 he sprayed nine loads on three different fields, all within 700 feet of the truck.
The pilot flew south to his next job and was going to land to wait for the truck. The engine quit about 0720, and the helicopter's fuel gauges read about 1/4 full. According to his watch he assumed that he had 10-15 minutes of fuel remaining. When the engine quit he lowered the collective and turned into the wind. The next thing he recalled was hitting the ground.
The pilot stated that the helicopter and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
The operator submitted a statement. The Bell 47-G5 helicopter has an engine that burns about 16 gallons of fuel per hour. It also has 28 gallons of usable fuel on board. This equates to approximately 105 minutes of fuel. According to the pilot's statement he flew about 99 minutes. With the fuel down about an inch when he started, fuel exhaustion was inevitable. The pilot was instructed to refuel every hour or every 10 loads. Each load takes approximately 6 minutes.
fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inaccurate fuel consumption calculations and failure to refuel the helicopter which resulted in a loss of engine power.