20241009013799A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Enstrom Helicopter 280C · Vale, OR · October 9, 2024

Date
October 9, 2024 · 16:00 local
Place
Vale, OR
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
H90G
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N646H
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR25LA010
Reported as
Enstrom Helicopter 280C
Reported engine
Lycoming HI0-360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot

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 refueling on top of fuel truck

Had a quartering tailwind, not enough power for takeoff

Pilot drooped the rotor, had a hard landing and main rotor blade struck the tailboom

As the FAA filed it

PILOT REFUELING ON TOP OF FUEL TRUCK

HAD A QUARTERING TAILWIND, NOT ENOUGH POWER FOR TAKEOFF

PILOT DROOPED THE ROTOR, HAD A HARD LANDING AND MAIN ROTOR BLADE STRUCK THE TAILBOOM

NTSB investigation

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