WHITEFIELD, Maine — Reports by the National Transportation Safety Board and Rolls-Royce about a helicopter crash in Whitefield in May 2014 say examinations found no anomalies that would have prevented normal operation of the aircraft.
An OH-58A+ helicopter owned by Maine Helicopters Inc. crashed on May 30, 2014, in the woods about one nautical mile from the company’s Whitefield location off Route 218, according to Brian Rayner, an investigator with the NTSB.
The NTSB released its factual report on the accident on April 1. The board’s “brief report,” which includes its finding of probable cause, is anticipated to be released next month, according to Rayner.
Documentation from the NTSB lists the pilot as Michael J. Conley, then 50, of Bridgewater, New Hampshire
Conley was an employee of Maine Helicopter at the time of the crash, but is no longer employed by the company, according to owner Greg Farris.
Attempts to reach Conley for comment were unsuccessful.
Conley had 1,475 hours of flight time in the OH-58A+, and 3,962 total hours in rotary wing aircraft, according to the factual report.
In a written statement, Conley said he had left the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton with 37 gallons of fuel on board, according to the report.
After about 20 minutes into his roughly 30-minute flight to Whitefield, the helicopter’s “master caution warning light” flickered three times over the course of 10 minutes before the engine stopped producing power, according to the report.
“The pilot entered autorotation, maneuvered the helicopter to an area of the shortest timber, and cushioned the landing as the helicopter entered the trees,” the report states.
Conley suffered minor injuries, according to the report, but walked out of the woods under his own power after the crash.
“The pilot told first responders that he ‘had an issue with fuel’ and told his employer immediately following the accident that he ‘ran out of fuel,’” the report states.
Farris, owner of Maine Helicopter, told The Lincoln County News the early reports that the helicopter had run out of fuel were untrue.
“There was plenty of fuel,” Farris said.
Approximately 10 to 11 gallons of fuel were recovered from the helicopter, of which 1.3 gallons were unusable, according to the factual report.
An engine investigation report from Rolls-Royce, the manufacturer of the helicopter’s engine, said after 10 gallons of fuel were added to the fuel tank (approximately the same amount as drained at the scene of the crash) on July 8, 2014, the engine was run at “flight idle” for 10 minutes and no abnormalities that would cause loss of engine power were noted.
The engine had about 89 hours on it since its last inspection, according to the Rolls-Royce report.
The aircraft was originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in 1971 for the U.S. Army, and was later re-manufactured by Garlick Helicopters for civilian use, according to the factual report.
The accident in Whitefield damaged the helicopter’s main rotor blades, fuselage, skids and tail boom, among others parts, according to the NTSB’s aircraft accident report.
Farris estimated the crash caused between $150,000 and $200,000 worth of damage to the aircraft.
According to NTSB documentation, Maine Helicopters has had at least four helicopter accidents since 1986.
Farris considers the total “a fairly good number, really,” saying helicopters are more prone to crashes than other aviation equipment. The company logs thousands of hours of flight time each year, he said.
“They’re complicated machines, and that’s the way it is. There’s a risk with helicopters,” Farris said.
Farris said Maine Helicopters is constantly replacing parts and keeping its equipment and licenses up to speed.
“We don’t mess with parts, we have a large monthly parts budget which we replace constantly, which is how aviation is,” he said.
Members of the Lincoln County Communications department were recognized by the Maine chapter of the National Emergency Number Association for their work related to the helicopter crash.
Kathy Blagdon, Pam Reed, Sonia Lilly, Nicole Merriman and Emily Snowman were nominated for the Critical Incident of the Year award for the dispatch services provided in response to the call.