- Date
- May 20, 1983, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wise, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N654HEnstrom F-28C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830520020539A
- Case key
- 6066
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt reported that he had stayed in the local area & had been practicing slow hover over the grass beside the rwy. There was a paved ramp that he had to cross, each time he went from one end of the rwy to the other. He said when he came to this area, he would climb to about 35 to 50 ft, before crossing. After crossing the ramp, he would let down on the other side. According to the plt, the wind changed as he was crossing the ramp which resulted in a tail wind. After he started back down, the helicopter would not stop descending until it hit the ground. It bounced aprx 10 to 12 ft in the air. During the bounce, the plt felt an unusual vibration & had very little control. Therefore, he shut-off the master switch & let it fall. Aprx 2 ft of the tail boom was cut off, the skids were bent up & the belly & main rotors were damaged. Reportedly the impact occurred while the helicopter was settling with power applied.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N654H
- Reported as
- Enstrom F-28C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 384
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Parkis Dotson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- LNP · Lonesome Pine
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,284 total · 34 in this make and model · 1,200 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TRI, 31 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.