NTSB Factual Report

On August 10, 2013, at 1818 central daylight time, a Bell 206BA helicopter, N804LA, rolled over during a forced landing in a corn field following a loss of engine power. The accident occurred near Albers, Illinois. The private pilot and two passengers were not injured. The helicopter received substantial damage to the tail boom and fuselage. The helicopter was registered to and operated by N M Land LLC as a personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not operating on a flight plan. The flight originated from private property in Albers, Illinois, just prior to the accident and was destined for Pevely, Missouri.

The pilot reported he performed a preflight inspection on the helicopter and pulled it out of the hangar in preparation for the flight. He did not notice any anomalies with the helicopter. He added 50 gallons of Jet A fuel to the helicopter which brought the total amount of fuel onboard to 75 gallons. The pilot then checked the weather, calculated the weight and balance, and loaded the passengers for the flight.

The pilot reported he started the helicopter's engine and performed a 2 minute run-up procedure. The pilot took off and departed to the north, leveling off at 600 feet above ground level. He initiated a turn and about half way through the turn the engine lost power. He stated that it seemed as though the throttle rolled back. The pilot noticed a loss of N2 speed. The "engine out" horn sounded and the "engine out" caution light illuminated, so he located a corn field in which to land. He decreased the collective and entered an auto-rotation. The helicopter settled into a corn field and rolled onto its left side during the landing. The tail boom was severed from the fuselage during the landing.

The helicopter was fueled from an above ground tank which belonged to the pilot's family who owned the helicopter. The pilot stated they purchased the new tank in 2010 and had it filled with 2,000 gallons of Jet A fuel shortly thereafter. The fuel that was added to the helicopter just prior to the accident was part of the 2,000 gallons of fuel purchased in 2010.

Fuel samples were taken from the airframe fuel filter housing, the fuel sump drain, and the above ground fuel storage tank. The sample from the storage tank and the fuel sump were clear of any visible contaminants. The sample drained from the airframe fuel filter housing separated into two layers. The top layer appeared similar to Jet A fuel and the bottom layer was opaque and brown in color. The airframe fuel filter housing was then removed from the helicopter and drained. This fuel sample also separated into two layers similar to the sample taken from the fuel filter housing.

The layered fuel samples were tested by Phoenix Chemical Laboratory, Inc., to determine their compositions. The tests results concluded that the upper organic layer of the liquid consisted of a mixture of aliphatic, aromatic, naphthenic hydrocarbons typical of aviation fuel. The lower layer consisted primarily of water plus a small amount of alcohol/ether.

The postaccident examination of the helicopter did not reveal any anomalies other than the contaminated fuel found in the airframe fuel filter housing.

A 100/300 hour inspection on the helicopter was completed three day and 2.5 flight hours prior to the accident. According to maintenance records, the engine fuel filter and the airframe fuel filter were replaced during the most recent inspections.

NTSB Probable Cause

Fuel contamination, which resulted in the loss of engine power.