27.2416° N, 80.8293° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Okeechobee, FL, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
March 13, 2022 · 14:55 local
Place
Okeechobee, FL
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N270HA
Reported as
Enstrom 280FX
Reported engine
Lycoming HIO-360-F1AD
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
5,000 total290 in this make and model8 in the last 90 days
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.
Pilot took off from private helipad encountered shifting wind directions and a down draft. Helicopter did not have sufficient power to overcome the down draft. With loss of altitude pilot did not expect to clear power lines and attempted to fly under the lines. The rotor blades took down the wires and he crashed through a wooden fence next to road.
As the FAA filed it
PILOT TOOK OFF FROM PRIVATE HELIPAD ENCOUNTERED SHIFTING WIND DIRECTIONS AND A DOWN DRAFT. HELICOPTER DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT POWER TO OVERCOME THE DOWN DRAFT. WITH LOSS OF ALTITUDE PILOT DID NOT EXPECT TO CLEAR POWER LINES AND ATTEMPTED TO FLY UNDER THE LINES. THE ROTOR BLADES TOOK DOWN THE WIRES AND HE CRASHED THROUGH A WOODEN FENCE NEXT TO ROAD.