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ERA11CA166

2011-02-26 · Fort Pierce, Florida, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the helicopter stated that the fuel gauge indicated "one-eighth to one-quarter" full on takeoff. At an altitude of approximately 200 feet, the low fuel pressure light illuminated, followed by a total loss of engine power. The pilot performed a 180-degree autorotation to a parking lot, and the helicopter landed hard, resulting in substantial damage to the left skid and tail boom. During postaccident examination, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector drained approximately 3 ounces of fuel from the gascolator. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter, and that he "ran it out of fuel" by "trusting the gauge." The pilot stated that the fuel gauge indicated one-eighth to one-quarter full on takeoff. At an altitude of approximately 200 feet, the low fuel pressure light illuminated, followed by a total loss of engine power. The pilot performed a 180-degree autorotation to a parking lot, and the helicopter landed hard, resulting in substantial damage to the left skid and tail boom. During a postaccident examination, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector drained approximately 3 ounces of fuel from the gascolator. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter, and that he ran it out of fuel by trusting the gauge. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_ERA11CA166.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). All research papers