20080418837719I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Enstrm F-28F · Fairmont, WV · April 18, 2008

Date: April 18, 2008 · 09:00 local
Place: Fairmont, WV
Airport: Fairmont Municipal-Frankman Field
Phase of flight: Engine Run-Up
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N516BY
Reported as: Enstrm F28F
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,000 total10 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

N516BYRegistered now · Enstrom F-28FS/N 788 · Built 1992 Airframe modelEnstrom F-28F Engine modelLycoming HIO-360 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.

(-23) The pilot was performing a ground run on the aircraft with no intention of flight. The pilot was not wearing the seat belt and shoulder harness. The collective control friction lock was not engaged. According to eye witness, when the pilot increased engine RPM, the helicoper pitched forward and the rotor blades contacted the ramp. After initial impact, the aircraft bounced violently out of control across the runway with the pilot being ejected through the LH door. The pilot was seriously injured and died later at the hospital.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING A GROUND RUN ON THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO INTENTION OF FLIGHT. THE PILOT WAS NOT WEARING THE SEAT BELT AND SHOULDER HARNESS. THE COLLECTIVE CONTROL FRICTION LOCK WAS NOT ENGAGED. ACCORDING TO EYE WITNESS, WHEN THE PILOT INCREASED ENGINE RPM, THE HELICOPER PITCHED FORWARD AND THE ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED THE RAMP. AFTER INITIAL IMPACT, THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED VIOLENTLY OUT OF CONTROL ACROSS THE RUNWAY WITH THE PILOT BEING EJECTED THROUGH THE LH DOOR. THE PILOT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND DIED LATER AT THE HOSPITAL.