- Date
- November 14, 1989, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Wilmington, DE
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8627JEnstrom F-28F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891114045269A
- Case key
- 11569
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A loss of engine power as a result of the student pilot inadvertently pulling the mixture control to the idle cut-off position, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision. A contributing factor to the accident was the rough and uneven terrain.
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
While en route to the destination airport, the CFI and student were performing the pre-landing checklist when the student was instructed to put the mixture control in the full rich position. Instead of advancing the mixture control the student pulled the mixture to idle cut-off. Engine power was lost and the CFI intiated a forced landing to a field. The only field available was rough and covered with 3 to 4 ft tall weeds. During the landing, the right skid dug into the terrain and the helicopter rolled over onto its right side.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8627J
- Reported as
- Enstrom F-28F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 760
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-F1AD, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Barbara Ohliger, doing business as Sundance Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Barbara W Ohliger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- N92 · Middletown, DE
- Destination
- ILG · Wilmington, DE
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,010 total · 1,219 in this make and model · 1,695 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8627J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.