What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On June 7, 2022, about 0935 eastern standard time, an Enstrom F28 helicopter, privacy data omitted sustained substantial damage when it impacted the ground at the aircraft owner?s property in Greenville, Ohio. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries in the accident. The helicopter was flown by privacy data omitted as a personal flight under the title 14 code of federal regulation part 91.
On the day of the accident, the pilot was scheduled to fly the helicopter to the lebanon, Ohio airport for maintenance. The helicopter departed the farm location with the pilot and one passenger. At 9:25, security video showed the helicopter coming into view in flight beyond the farm buildings from the left and flying across the screen to the right until out of view. The flight of helicopter looked normal as it transition across the screen. Two witnesses saw the helicopter flying southeast after it departed the farm location.
At approximately 9:35 am, the helicopter crashed in the driveway privacy data omittedof the farm location. The helicopter?s location in the driveway was approximately 35 feet north of the county road and the helicopter was orientated on a 266 degree heading. The crash site was surrounded by an open field east of the driveway, the house which is about 55 feet north northwest of the impact area, an approximately 15 foot high lilac bush 30 feet directly in front of the helicopter, a power pole and tree line on the north side of county road that runs east/west to the property, a quarter inch in diameter coax cable that ran from the house to the power pull near the county road. The coax cable crossed over the driveway at the point of impact.
The onsite investigation could not determine if the crash occurred while attempting a takeoff or landing and if the coax cable contributed to the cause of the accident. Based on crash damage, the helicopter was estimated to be approximately 20 to 50 feet above the ground before the impact. The ground scares showed no noticeable forward motion of the helicopter at the time of impact, indicating it could have been in a hover. There was no evidence of the three main rotors hitting the tail or ground during the crash. The coax cable running from the house to the power pole near the county road was on the ground near the helicopter. The cable appeared to have made contact with the helicopter?s rotors. One main rotor showed black residue on the leading edge consistent with the plastic covering on the coax cable. A short length of cable separated from the main cable was lying near the tail rotors. Both tail rotors showed ground marks on the front side of the rotors. One of the two tail rotors was bent forward at a about a 90 angle.
The pilot held a private pilot certificateprivacy data omitted. The pilot?s logbook showed 81.8 hours of total flight time. The last logbook entry was made on December 14, 2021. The compentencey of the pilot could not be determined because of lacking details recorded in the logged flight entries. Since receiving his private pilot certificate, no logged entries of practicing maneuvers for proficiency (just point a to b flights) were recorded in the logbook.
Based on the observation of the severe impact damage to the cockpit area, possible loss of engine power at the critical phase of flight could be a contributing factor in the loss of aircraft control.
As the FAA filed it
ON JUNE 7, 2022, ABOUT 0935 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, AN ENSTROM F28 HELICOPTER, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND AT THE AIRCRAFT OWNER?S PROPERTY IN GREENVILLE, OHIO. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES IN THE ACCIDENT. THE HELICOPTER WAS FLOWN BY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT UNDER THE TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATION PART 91.
ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT WAS SCHEDULED TO FLY THE HELICOPTER TO THE LEBANON, OHIO AIRPORT FOR MAINTENANCE. THE HELICOPTER DEPARTED THE FARM LOCATION WITH THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER. AT 9:25, SECURITY VIDEO SHOWED THE HELICOPTER COMING INTO VIEW IN FLIGHT BEYOND THE FARM BUILDINGS FROM THE LEFT AND FLYING ACROSS THE SCREEN TO THE RIGHT UNTIL OUT OF VIEW. THE FLIGHT OF HELICOPTER LOOKED NORMAL AS IT TRANSITION ACROSS THE SCREEN. TWO WITNESSES SAW THE HELICOPTER FLYING SOUTHEAST AFTER IT DEPARTED THE FARM LOCATION.
AT APPROXIMATELY 9:35 AM, THE HELICOPTER CRASHED IN THE DRIVEWAY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^OF THE FARM LOCATION. THE HELICOPTER?S LOCATION IN THE DRIVEWAY WAS APPROXIMATELY 35 FEET NORTH OF THE COUNTY ROAD AND THE HELICOPTER WAS ORIENTATED ON A 266 DEGREE HEADING. THE CRASH SITE WAS SURROUNDED BY AN OPEN FIELD EAST OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE HOUSE WHICH IS ABOUT 55 FEET NORTH NORTHWEST OF THE IMPACT AREA, AN APPROXIMATELY 15 FOOT HIGH LILAC BUSH 30 FEET DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE HELICOPTER, A POWER POLE AND TREE LINE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF COUNTY ROAD THAT RUNS EAST/WEST TO THE PROPERTY, A QUARTER INCH IN DIAMETER COAX CABLE THAT RAN FROM THE HOUSE TO THE POWER PULL NEAR THE COUNTY ROAD. THE COAX CABLE CROSSED OVER THE DRIVEWAY AT THE POINT OF IMPACT.
THE ONSITE INVESTIGATION COULD NOT DETERMINE IF THE CRASH OCCURRED WHILE ATTEMPTING A TAKEOFF OR LANDING AND IF THE COAX CABLE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT. BASED ON CRASH DAMAGE, THE HELICOPTER WAS ESTIMATED TO BE APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND BEFORE THE IMPACT. THE GROUND SCARES SHOWED NO NOTICEABLE FORWARD MOTION OF THE HELICOPTER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT, INDICATING IT COULD HAVE BEEN IN A HOVER. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF THE THREE MAIN ROTORS HITTING THE TAIL OR GROUND DURING THE CRASH. THE COAX CABLE RUNNING FROM THE HOUSE TO THE POWER POLE NEAR THE COUNTY ROAD WAS ON THE GROUND NEAR THE HELICOPTER. THE CABLE APPEARED TO HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH THE HELICOPTER?S ROTORS. ONE MAIN ROTOR SHOWED BLACK RESIDUE ON THE LEADING EDGE CONSISTENT WITH THE PLASTIC COVERING ON THE COAX CABLE. A SHORT LENGTH OF CABLE SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN CABLE WAS LYING NEAR THE TAIL ROTORS. BOTH TAIL ROTORS SHOWED GROUND MARKS ON THE FRONT SIDE OF THE ROTORS. ONE OF THE TWO TAIL ROTORS WAS BENT FORWARD AT A ABOUT A 90 ANGLE.
THE PILOT HELD A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE PILOT?S LOGBOOK SHOWED 81.8 HOURS OF TOTAL FLIGHT TIME. THE LAST LOGBOOK ENTRY WAS MADE ON DECEMBER 14, 2021. THE COMPENTENCEY OF THE PILOT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED BECAUSE OF LACKING DETAILS RECORDED IN THE LOGGED FLIGHT ENTRIES. SINCE RECEIVING HIS PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE, NO LOGGED ENTRIES OF PRACTICING MANEUVERS FOR PROFICIENCY (JUST POINT A TO B FLIGHTS) WERE RECORDED IN THE LOGBOOK.
BASED ON THE OBSERVATION OF THE SEVERE IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE COCKPIT AREA, POSSIBLE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AT THE CRITICAL PHASE OF FLIGHT COULD BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IN THE LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.