20210509011859A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Enstrom F-28F · Palmer, AK · May 9, 2021

Date: May 9, 2021 · 14:29 local
Place: Palmer, AK
Airport: Palmer Municipal
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N8627J
NTSB investigation: NTSBANC21LA038
Reported as: Enstrom F-28F
Reported engine: Lycoming HIO-360 series
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0

N8627JRegistration cancelled Mar 24, 2023 · Enstrom F-28FS/N 760 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.

Aircraft was in cruise flight at about 1.5 into sightseeing operations. While in cruise at ~350 AGL, clutch light flickered and then fully disengaged. Due to short response time, pilot was unable to reapply clutch manually. Autorotation was entered immediately with near zero ground run. Aircraft landed in plowed field that was wet from rain and snow melt. Skids sank into mud on landing and aircraft lurched to hard stop putting tail boom into rotor, chopping off tail rotor. Aircraft secured with no injuries. Pilot flying was aircraft manufacturers test pilot with over 10000 hours in this aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT ABOUT 1.5 INTO SIGHTSEEING OPERATIONS. WHILE IN CRUISE AT ~350 AGL, CLUTCH LIGHT FLICKERED AND THEN FULLY DISENGAGED. DUE TO SHORT RESPONSE TIME, PILOT WAS UNABLE TO REAPPLY CLUTCH MANUALLY. AUTOROTATION WAS ENTERED IMMEDIATELY WITH NEAR ZERO GROUND RUN. AIRCRAFT LANDED IN PLOWED FIELD THAT WAS WET FROM RAIN AND SNOW MELT. SKIDS SANK INTO MUD ON LANDING AND AIRCRAFT LURCHED TO HARD STOP PUTTING TAIL BOOM INTO ROTOR, CHOPPING OFF TAIL ROTOR. AIRCRAFT SECURED WITH NO INJURIES. PILOT FLYING WAS AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS TEST PILOT WITH OVER 10000 HOURS IN THIS AIRCRAFT.

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 ANC21LA038Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportPalmer, AKA loss of drive to the rotor system due to the disengagement of the main belt drive tensioning system, which resulted in a forced landing. The disengagement was due to inadequate clearance between the clutch handle and the roll pin in the handle bellcrank…May 9, 2021 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N8627J · 1

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

Accident 19891114045269APwr Off Vert Land/Autorotate · Wilmington, DECFI told student to enrich mixture for landing. Student pulled mixture to idle cut off. Made autoroted run landing.Nov 14, 1989 · Substantial damage