FAA incident report · Enstrm 280C · Madera, CA · August 30, 1980
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Pilot making solo flight in helicopter made hard landing. Tail rotor hit ground then main rotor and gear skid.
PILOT MAKING SOLO FLIGHT IN HELICOPTER MADE HARD LANDING.TAIL ROTOR HIT GROUND THEN MAIN ROTOR AND GEAR SKID.