Two reports are available at the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center about a helicopter that made a hard landing in July due to a mechanical failure in a fuel regulator. As Helicopter 101, a CAL FIRE UH-1, was returning from a fire and attempting to land at their helitack base at Howard Forest in Mendocino County, the fuel regulator failed causing the amount of power produced to be less than you would have when sitting and idling. The pilot initiated an auto rotate landing and the helicopter impacted the ground short of the helibase. The skids collapsed, absorbing much of the energy, and the helicopter came to rest on its belly. The pilot and seven crew members safely exited the aircraft without injuries.
More information:
- Initial report
- Followup report
- Information about the Howard Forest Helitack Base
I like how this story ended.