Accident · 1997-07-06

NTSB case LAX97GA235 · Bell BHT-206L-1 · PUBU

What the record says

Event date: 1997-07-06
Event type: Accident
Highest injury level: Fatal injury
Aircraft: Bell BHT-206L-1 (N27591)
Operating rule: PUBU
Operator: USDA Forest Service Operator named in NTSB report
Operated by (per NTSB report): USDA FOREST SERVICE

Probable cause

Loss of engine power due to fuel contamination. Also causal was the ingestion of entrapped air that occurred during an abrupt maneuver and fuel-borne contamination that caused the fuel system check valves to leak, resulted in a lower than expected fuel level in the main fuel cell. A related factor was mountainous terrain.

Source: NTSB case LAX97GA235

Flight crew

Flight-crew details for this event aren't in the NTSB database extract we hold (its coverage starts with 2008 events) — a gap in our data, not an absence of crew.

Facts as the NTSB records them — GroundCheck adds no judgement. Preliminary records may be revised as the investigation proceeds.

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