NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA25LA156
Registry · N5QV
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BELL 206B
TCDS
H2SW · BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA LTD
Engine
ALLISON 250 SER 250HP (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
5 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19920921
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A636B0
Registrant of record
HELICOPTERS INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during approach due to fuel exhaustion.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the electronic news gathering helicopter reported that he departed the airport on a preplanned flight to obtain video footage at four locations. After filming the four locations, but before returning to the airport, the pilot was contacted via radio about filming a fifth location due to breaking news. While over the fifth location, the cockpit fuel pump caution light illuminated, and the pilot noticed a low fuel level but elected to return to the airport rather than land at a nearby city helipad. While over the airport ramp area at 100 to 150 ft above ground level, the engine “hiccupped” and then lost all power. The pilot attempted an autorotation, but the helicopter landed hard on the ramp area. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the fuselage. The inspector also noted that the fuel tanks were absent of fuel and the cockpit fuel gauge needle was below “E.” Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Not specified
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2025_ERA25LA156.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (fuel exhaustion). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- AOPA Air Safety Institute 2023 · Safety advisor
Safety Advisor: Fuel Awareness
AOPA Air Safety Institute safety advisor on preventing fuel-exhaustion and fuel-starvation accidents in general aviation. Covers pre-flight fuel planning, reserve requirements (14 CFR 91.151, 91.167),…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Abstract
U.S. Civil Rotorcraft Accidents, 1963 through 1997
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recorded 8,436 rotorcraft accidents during the period mid - 1963 through the end of 1997.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Terrain Portrayal for Head-Down Displays Flight Test
The Synthetic Vision Systems General Aviation (SVS-GA) element of NASA's Aviation Safety Program is developing technology to eliminate low visibility induced General Aviation (GA) accidents through th…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
A study of carburetor/induction system icing in general aviation accidents
An assessment of the frequency and severity of carburetor/induction icing in general-aviation accidents was performed. The available literature and accident data from the National Transportation Safet…
- NASA NTRS 2018 · Other
Parachuting to Safety
NASA's Langley Research Center awarded Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc., three Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to research and develop a new, low cost, lightweight recovery system …
- NASA NTRS 2010 · Abstract
Emerging Standards for Aerodrome Mapping Databases and Datalink Technologies to Enable Reductions in Runway Incursions/Excursions
The integration of onboard databases with data linked aeronautical information services (AIS) is a task that RTCA and EUROCAE are pursuing.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗