Vertical Aviation Technologies 260L HUMMINGBIRD accident near Harrisville, New York, January 28, 2018
On January 28, 2018 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 2010 Vertical Aviation Technologies 260L HUMMINGBIRD (helicopter), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N4045, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Harrisville, New York. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of an electric fuel pump, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 2018 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Harrisville, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Vertical Aviation Technologies 260L HUMMINGBIRD NO SERIES, built 2010, amateur-built
- Registration
- N4045 · no longer on the register · serial 1079
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in an experimental amateur-built helicopter that was equipped with an automobile engine. When the airplane was about 6 miles from the destination and at a cruise altitude of 500 ft above ground level, the engine sputtered once and then lost all power. The pilot performed an autorotation into a low-lying valley with short trees. During the landing, the main and tail rotors contacted the trees, resulting in substantial damage. Postaccident testing revealed that one of the two electric fuel pumps did not operate when direct current was applied to it, indicating that the pump had failed during flight. According to the manufacturer, both fuel pumps are to be used for takeoff and landing, but only one fuel pump is necessary during cruise flight. The pilot was using one fuel pump during cruise flight, and the fuel pump that failed was likely the one in use at the time. The fuel pump failure resulted in fuel starvation and a subsequent total loss of engine power.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during enroute (cruise)
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Autorotation Off-field or emergency landing
- Autorotation Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel pumps › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,946 hours in all; 78 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,176 as pilot in command; 205 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 457 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 29, 2017; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Chevrolet LS3 (piston); 457 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTD Potsdam NY at 8:00 pm
- Destination: NONE Harrisville NY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from GTB, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on July 12, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Excerpts from Flight Manual | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N4045 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.