19960421012579I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Enstrm F-28A · Lake Havasu Cit, AZ · April 21, 1996

Date: April 21, 1996 · 14:00 local
Place: Lake Havasu Cit, AZ
Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N4874
Reported as: Enstrm F28A
Reported engine: Lycoming HIO360C1A
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,000 total105 in this make and model55 in the last 90 days

N4874Registered now · Enstrom F-28AS/N 025 · Built 1968 Airframe modelEnstrom F-28A Engine modelLycoming I0360 seriesReciprocating

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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: conducting over water aerial photography of boats, acft began to settle from 30-35 feet on downwind pass. Pilot began turn to upwind direction and was attempting to increase RPM with governor beep switch. Acft continued to settle and pilot elected to make water ditch when skids were in contact with water. Water ditching procedures were accomplished correctly and both occupants egressed acft after m/r blade contact. Acft settled in 30 feet of water. Damage minor to acft blades and fuselage panels. Occupants unhurt. Most damage to acft caused by water. Salvage retrieved.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: CONDUCTING OVER WATER AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY OF BOATS, ACFT BEGAN TO SETTLE FROM 30-35 FEET ON DOWNWIND PASS. PILOT BEGAN TURN TO UPWIND DIRECTION AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO INCREASE RPM WITH GOVERNOR BEEP SWITCH. ACFT CONTINUED TO SETTLE AND PILOT ELECTED TO MAKE WATER DITCH WHEN SKIDS WERE IN CONTACT WITH WATER. WATER DITCHING PROCEDURES WERE ACCOMPLISHED CORRECTLY AND BOTH OCCUPANTS EGRESSED ACFT AFTER M/R BLADE CONTACT. ACFT SETTLED IN 30 FEET OF WATER. DAMAGE MINOR TO ACFT BLADES AND FUSELAGE PANELS. OCCUPANTS UNHURT. MOST DAMAGE TO ACFT CAUSED BY WATER. SALVAGE RETRIEVED.