Agusta A109 accident near Page, Arizona, September 22, 2009
On September 22, 2009 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Agusta A109 (helicopter), registered N129AL, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Page, Arizona (Page Municipal Airport). It was a positioning 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
A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning and his decision to continue flight with a known low fuel level state.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 2009 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Page, Arizona · Page Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Agusta A109 K2 · all A109s on the register
- Registration
- N129AL · registry record · serial 10029
- 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 at 70 miles from his destination he determined that he would be landing closer to minimum fuel than he had planned. He continued to the destination and passed over one airport because it did not have any services. At 35 miles from the destination, the low fuel caution-warning for fuel tank 2 illuminated, followed by a low fuel caution-warning for fuel tank 1. The pilot thought that he would still land with some reserve and continued to fly to his destination airport. Approximately 1 mile from the destination airport the helicopter experienced a dual engine flame-out. The pilot autorotated to a sports field where the helicopter landed hard, sustaining damage to the main rotor blades, tail rotor, tail boom, and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot stated that the helicopter and engines had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the 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 exhaustion during maneuvering defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during maneuvering
- Autorotation Hard landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,380 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 4,230 as pilot in command; 450 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 10, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,606 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 4, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 6,283 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Turbomeca ARRIEL1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KIWA Mesa AZ at 9:14 pm
- Destination: KPGA Page AZ
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: vv; clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KPGA
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.
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 WPR09CA462.