Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 600N accident near Eagle Lake, Texas, July 16, 2024
On July 16, 2024 at about 5:55 am local time, a 1997 Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 600N, registered N609RP, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Eagle Lake, Texas. It was a public-use flight (local) under public-use (government) rules. 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The operator’s improper installation of the fuel system, which resulted in fuel starvation, a loss of engine power, and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2024 · about 5:55 am local time
- Place
- Eagle Lake, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 600N, built 1997 · all 600Ns on the register
- Registration
- N609RP · registry record · serial RN009
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight (local) · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The operator was providing flight services to law enforcement for training purposes at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that during the last flight of the evening, he flew the helicopter at a low altitude and at a low airspeed when the helicopter exhibited low rotor rpm. The helicopter lost partial engine power, and the pilot performed a forced landing. The helicopter was destroyed by impact forces. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed the helicopter’s fuel system was incorrectly installed and drew fuel from the forward portion of the left fuel cell, allowing air to be drawn into the fuel system when the fuel level reached an unsustainable level for engine operation. A correct installation of the fuel system would have had fuel being drawn from the aft portion of the left fuel tanks, which had about 19.5 gallons of fuel available. Maintenance entries showed that the pilot, who was also a mechanic, performed recent maintenance within the left fuel cell and such maintenance would have required the pilot to remove and visually inspect the fuel system components within the left fuel cell that were found to be improperly installed. The improper installation resulted in the fuel system not scavenging the available fuel from the aft portion of the left fuel cell.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Fuel starvation during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,800 hours in all; 610 in this make and model; 16,755 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 22, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,590 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 10, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 3,700 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C47M (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN24LA271.