Garlick Helicopters INC OH 58A+ accident near Whitefield, Maine, May 30, 2014
On May 30, 2014 at about 6:37 pm local time, a 1971 Garlick Helicopters INC OH 58A+, registered N650MH, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Whitefield, Maine (Maine Helicopters airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to land as soon as possible when the master caution warning light first illuminated as prescribed and his failure to ensure the proper setting of the caution panel segment lights before the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2014 · about 6:37 pm local time
- Place
- Whitefield, Maine · Maine Helicopters · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Garlick Helicopters INC OH 58A+, built 1971 · all OH 58A+s on the register
- Registration
- N650MH · registry record · serial 71-20740
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he departed with a quantity of fuel that would nominally provide for 1.2 hours of flight. Twenty minutes into the 45-minute flight, the master caution warning light illuminated with no discernible corresponding panel segment caution light. The published emergency procedure for this scenario was to land as soon as possible. Instead, the pilot continued flight as the master caution warning light illuminated three more times over the next 15 minutes. The engine then experienced a total loss of power. The pilot entered an autorotation and completed a forced landing to trees, which resulted in substantial damage to the helicopter. A detailed examination of the fuel system and associated warnings, airframe, engine controls, and fluid and pneumatic lines and a test run of the engine revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. About 10 to 11 gallons (65 pounds) of fuel were recovered from the helicopter, of which 1.3 gallons was unusable. Examination of the master caution light and associated caution panel segment lights revealed that the segment lights were positioned to the "dim" setting, which would have made it difficult or impossible to read in daylight conditions. The low fuel caution light was set to illuminate when there was between 65 and 98 pounds of fuel remaining. However, the manual advised that that illumination of the low fuel caution light does not mean that a fixed time remains and that the remaining fuel may not be available unless the helicopter remains in level or coordinated flight.
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
- Fuel related during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,723 hours in all; 1,475 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 1,530 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 18, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,815 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 24, 2014; 78 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce T63-A-720 (turboshaft); 1,631 hours total
- Operator: Maine Helicopters INC
The flight
- Departed from: BHB Bar Harbor ME at 5:30 pm
- Destination: ME59 Whitefield ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway H1, 100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from AUG, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.