Rotorcraft
FAA Flags Fuel Risk in Rotorcraft Sideward Maneuvers
Agency says manual supplements should list fuel safety margins
MD Helicopters
MD 500 helicopter. © MD Helicopters

The FAA has issued a bulletin warning that current cockpit fuel indications in some rotorcraft may not accurately reflect the safe minimum fuel needed during sideward-pulling external-load operations, posing a risk of fuel starvation at higher-than-expected fuel levels. The concern is based on NTSB findings from five MD Helicopters 369-series accidents.

Issued June 10, the Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) follows an NTSB investigation of five MD 369-series accidents during Class C RLC (rotorcraft-load combination) missions. In each case, the helicopters were dragging loads laterally while in high bank attitudes. The NTSB determined that fuel unporting—when fuel shifts away from the tank pickup point—occurred even though fuel levels appeared sufficient by cockpit indication.