Event WPR21LA293

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while the helicopter was in the hanger, he put 4 gallons of fuel into the left fuel tank. He then intended to hover taxi to the fuel island for fuel. He observed people and an aircraft near the fuel island, and he hover taxied to a dirt area. While about 12-15 ft above ground level, the engine had a complete loss of power. He further reported that he was too low to autorotate, landed hard on uneven terrain and collapsed the left skid. An inspection revealed that both fuel tanks were empty. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. 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).

• — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level
• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
• — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Contributed to outcome