Folks,
Clonshanny does appear to be an
incredibly unlucky area.
According to the AAIU someone who lived in the same place as he does and also just happens to own a Hughes 500 arranged to rent a Schweizer Model 300 while his H500 was in the shop. The aircraft then unfortunately ran out of fuel while airborne.
Accident Page
PDF File
According to the report:
1 FACTUAL INFORMATION
1.1 Background
The Pilot operated another helicopter, a turbine powered Hughes 500, on behalf of the owner of this helicopter. The operating base was at the owner’s home at Clonshanny, Co. Offaly. The Hughes 500 was used to transport the owner to work locations throughout Ireland. At the time of the accident, this helicopter was undergoing maintenance and awaiting parts, and it was consequently not available to meet the transportation requirements of the owner. The Pilot of the accident helicopter made arrangements to hire-in the accident helicopter, G-CDTK, in order to meet the owner’s transportation needs. The Pilot contacted a company based at Enniskillen, in Northern Ireland, to hire G-CDTK for approximately 25 hours flying. On Friday 7 September 2007, he traveled to Enniskillen and picked up G-CDTK. He then flew it to the owner’s base at Clonshanny. On the following day, he flew the helicopter from Clonshanny to Cork Airport to deliver a passport. This flight was conducted at a high power setting to combat headwinds. The helicopter was refueled at Cork, taking on 110 Litres of Avgas. The helicopter then returned to Clonshanny. Another local flight, reportedly of approximately 15 minutes duration, was then flown in the local area.
No further flying was done in the helicopter until the accident flight on 12 September 2007.
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At approximately 15.15 hrs, the helicopter was returning to Clonshanny. The Pilot stated that, at an altitude of 1,000 ft, as he selected the fuel booster pump to “ON”, the engine lost power. At this point the helicopter was within one mile of the base at Clonshanny. The Pilot stated that he initiated an auto-rotation and flared at the “height of a two storey house” The helicopter dropped vertically from this flare and struck the ground hard, without any forward speed.
1.3 Injuries
The Pilot and his passenger suffered injuries, consistent with a heavy vertical impact. The Pilot was discharged from hospital the following day. The passenger suffered spinal injuries that required surgery.
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1.11 Pilot Interview
The Investigator met with the Pilot a few days after the accident. The Pilot participated fully in the interview. At the Pilot’s request, the owner of the turbine-powered helicopter was also present at this interview. A number of significant points arose. The owner and the Pilot jointly examined G-CDTK for fuel contents prior to the final departure. They both stated that the fuel gauge read about ˝ full. They did not have a clean dip-stick but satisfied themselves that the tank was approximately half full by tapping on the outside. The Pilot was questioned about the low fuel warning light. He stated that he did not observe it coming on; in fact he observed no warning lights before the engine stoppage. He stated that he believed there was about 20 minutes duration remaining when the low fuel contents warning light comes on. He also stated that he found the lack of a clock in the cockpit a problem, as he had difficulty in keeping track of the fuel consumption rate without the benefit of a cockpit clock.
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1.13 Licensing information
The Pilot had a valid Private Pilot’s Licence - Rotorcraft Helicopter with no restrictions, issued by the USA Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in March 2007. He possessed a valid Second Class medical issued by an FAA-approved medical facility in Ireland.
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3. CONCLUSIONS
(a) Findings
1. The helicopter engine stopped due to the fuel tank contents being reduced to zero.