20121207027019A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Enstrom F-28C · Abilene, TX · December 7, 2012

Date: December 7, 2012 · 15:45 local
Place: Abilene, TX
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N574H
NTSB investigation: NTSBCEN13LA099
Reported as: Enstrom F-28C
Reported engine: Lycoming HIO-360 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 6,800 total2,000 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days

N574HRegistration cancelled Dec 18, 2014 · Enstrom F-28CS/N 361 · Built 1976 Airframe modelEnstrom F-28C 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.

CFI was completing a dual cross country flight after a stop in brownwood for lunch before returned to Abilene, Texas (abi). Engine lost power, in cruise flight 2 miles east of abi because of fuel exhaustion. The engine faltered and started sputtering and surging. The instructor took the controls and started a descent to a wheat field. The engine continued to surge and sputter during the descent and the rotor RPM was being dragged down by the engine. The CFI never fully entered an autorotation to recover the rotor RPM. During a hard landing with low rotor RPM, the rotor blades hit the tail boom almost severing the tail rotor.

As the FAA filed it

CFI WAS COMPLETING A DUAL CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT AFTER A STOP IN BROWNWOOD FOR LUNCH BEFORE RETURNED TO ABILENE, TEXAS (ABI). ENGINE LOST POWER, IN CRUISE FLIGHT 2 MILES EAST OF ABI BECAUSE OF FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE ENGINE FALTERED AND STARTED SPUTTERING AND SURGING. THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK THE CONTROLS AND STARTED A DESCENT TO A WHEAT FIELD. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO SURGE AND SPUTTER DURING THE DESCENT AND THE ROTOR RPM WAS BEING DRAGGED DOWN BY THE ENGINE. THE CFI NEVER FULLY ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION TO RECOVER THE ROTOR RPM. DURING A HARD LANDING WITH LOW ROTOR RPM, THE ROTOR BLADES HIT THE TAIL BOOM ALMOST SEVERING THE TAIL ROTOR.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CEN13LA099Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportAbilene, TXThe flight instructor's failure to conduct an autorotation following the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the flight instructor and the student pilot to visually check fuel levels to ensure adequate…Dec 7, 2012 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N574H · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 19961005031049AGreenbluff, WAAircraft was giving sight seeing rides when it lost power, landed hard.Oct 5, 1996 · Substantial damage