Narrative:

I am a flight instructor. I started the day with nearly a full tank of gas in both tanks, on my first flight. I had a second flight immediately after the first flight. I did a preflight, checking the fuel. The fuel gauges read over half on both tanks, and in an small aircraft helicopter, the main tank (19.2 gallons usable), and the auxiliary tank (10.5 gallons usable), and with a fuel burn said to be 8 gallons per hour, I felt I had 14.85 gal of usable fuel. With that much fuel for a local training flight planned to be no longer than 1.5 (1 hour 30 mins) I should have had enough fuel plus 20 min reserve. As you might have already guessed, at the end of this training flight, I was watching the fuel gauges because they were getting low. From past experience in the small aircraft, when I would fill up, I would find they did not take as much fuel as the fuel gauges would make you think. With this in mind I believed I had plenty of fuel. But as we were in a transition through whiteman airport's air traffic area, the low fuel light came on. The small aircraft manual says 'select the nearest safe landing area and make a normal landing.' it goes on to say the engine may run out of fuel within 5 mins. I could easily be on the ground in 3 mins at burbank airport and I felt it would take me just as long to turn around and land at whiteman airport. The engine quit less then a min after the light came on. I always know where I would land if there were a power failure because at 600 AGL its too late after the engine quits. The last place I looked at was a park to my right. The engine stopped and that is where I went. I lost a little airspeed getting to the park. The landing was smooth, but not enough RPM gain to set it down without any damage to the aircraft. The damage was hard to see to the untrained eye, but the tail cone did have a dent in it, this takes from the strength of the tail cone and that is why it is now called an accident.the total time of this flight was 1.5 to the best of my knowledge.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HELI ON TRAINING FLT HAS LOW FUEL LIGHT ACTIVATE. ENG ACCORDING TO MANUAL SHOULD RUN 5 MINS. IT QUIT IN 1. EMER LNDG.

Narrative: I AM A FLT INSTRUCTOR. I STARTED THE DAY WITH NEARLY A FULL TANK OF GAS IN BOTH TANKS, ON MY FIRST FLT. I HAD A SECOND FLT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRST FLT. I DID A PREFLT, CHKING THE FUEL. THE FUEL GAUGES READ OVER HALF ON BOTH TANKS, AND IN AN SMA HELI, THE MAIN TANK (19.2 GALLONS USABLE), AND THE AUX TANK (10.5 GALLONS USABLE), AND WITH A FUEL BURN SAID TO BE 8 GALLONS PER HR, I FELT I HAD 14.85 GAL OF USABLE FUEL. WITH THAT MUCH FUEL FOR A LCL TRAINING FLT PLANNED TO BE NO LONGER THAN 1.5 (1 HR 30 MINS) I SHOULD HAVE HAD ENOUGH FUEL PLUS 20 MIN RESERVE. AS YOU MIGHT HAVE ALREADY GUESSED, AT THE END OF THIS TRAINING FLT, I WAS WATCHING THE FUEL GAUGES BECAUSE THEY WERE GETTING LOW. FROM PAST EXPERIENCE IN THE SMA, WHEN I WOULD FILL UP, I WOULD FIND THEY DID NOT TAKE AS MUCH FUEL AS THE FUEL GAUGES WOULD MAKE YOU THINK. WITH THIS IN MIND I BELIEVED I HAD PLENTY OF FUEL. BUT AS WE WERE IN A TRANSITION THROUGH WHITEMAN ARPT'S ATA, THE LOW FUEL LIGHT CAME ON. THE SMA MANUAL SAYS 'SELECT THE NEAREST SAFE LNDG AREA AND MAKE A NORMAL LNDG.' IT GOES ON TO SAY THE ENG MAY RUN OUT OF FUEL WITHIN 5 MINS. I COULD EASILY BE ON THE GND IN 3 MINS AT BURBANK ARPT AND I FELT IT WOULD TAKE ME JUST AS LONG TO TURN AROUND AND LAND AT WHITEMAN ARPT. THE ENG QUIT LESS THEN A MIN AFTER THE LIGHT CAME ON. I ALWAYS KNOW WHERE I WOULD LAND IF THERE WERE A PWR FAILURE BECAUSE AT 600 AGL ITS TOO LATE AFTER THE ENG QUITS. THE LAST PLACE I LOOKED AT WAS A PARK TO MY R. THE ENG STOPPED AND THAT IS WHERE I WENT. I LOST A LITTLE AIRSPD GETTING TO THE PARK. THE LNDG WAS SMOOTH, BUT NOT ENOUGH RPM GAIN TO SET IT DOWN WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. THE DAMAGE WAS HARD TO SEE TO THE UNTRAINED EYE, BUT THE TAIL CONE DID HAVE A DENT IN IT, THIS TAKES FROM THE STRENGTH OF THE TAIL CONE AND THAT IS WHY IT IS NOW CALLED AN ACCIDENT.THE TOTAL TIME OF THIS FLT WAS 1.5 TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.