The pilot in a May 30 helicopter crash in Whitefield cited a fuel issue to both police and his employer, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board; the same report states that about 11 gallons of fuel were later recovered from the helicopter.

The report, dated June 10 and released June 11 onto the NTSB’s website, notes that the information in it is preliminary and could change; a detailed examination of the craft would be scheduled, the report states.

According to the early report, the pilot made a written statement that the flight was uneventful until the aircraft’s master caution light flashed.

“He was unable to decipher a fault associated with the brief illumination of the caution, and shortly thereafter, the helicopter experienced a total loss of engine power over wooded terrain. The pilot ... maneuvered the helicopter to an area of the shortest timber, and cushioned that landing as the helicopter entered the trees. The helicopter came to rest upright, and the pilot (got out) without assistance.

“The pilot told the responding police officers that he ‘had an issue with fuel’ and told his employer immediately following the accident that he ‘ran out of fuel,’ the preliminary report continues. The helicopter was on approach to Maine Helicopters’ helipad in Whitefield, according to the report. It describes the accident as a forced landing.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector did a preliminary examination of the wreckage, the report states. “He reported substantial damage to the fuselage and tailboom, and confirmed flight and engine control continuity. Operation of the fuel boost pump was also confirmed, and approximately 11 gallons of fuel was recovered from the helicopter,” the NTSB’s preliminary report states.

The report does not name the pilot. It states he had a commercial pilot’s certificate and that 1,475 of his 3,723 total hours of flight experience were in the same make and model helicopter.

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate and a medical certificate most recently issued June 19, 2013, the report states.

The report cites FAA records that Bell Helicopter made the helicopter in 1971 for the U.S. Army as an OH-58A; Garlick Helicopters later re-manufactured it for civilian use, the report states. The craft had 10,726 hours on it and had its last 100-hour inspection on March 24, 2014, and had since racked up another 91 hours, according to the report.

Maine Helicopters’ director of maintenance Jim McCully confirmed after the accident that the helicopter belonged to the business, and that the pilot had been returning from a job when the helicopter went down.

A person answering the phone at Maine Helicopters on June 11 declined to speak with a reporter.