- Date
- April 11, 1991, 21:50 local (Apr 12, 1991, 01:50 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Ledge, MI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N294QEnstrom F-28A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910411010119A
- Case key
- 15042
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
The student's failure to maintain a proper altitude and clearance from the terrain along with the cfi's failure to adequately supervise the student's actions. A factor contributing to the accident was the inadequate visual lookout available due to the night light conditions.
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 CFI and his student were taxiing back to the ramp after a night instructional helicopter lesson when the accident occurred. The CFI stated the student ascended to an altitude of approximately 15 feet during the taxi at which time the CFI instructed the student to decrease altitude. The student descended too low and the skid contacted the taxiway resulting in a dymanic roll over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N294Q
- Reported as
- Enstrom F-28A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 314
- Airframe hours
- 2,950
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-C1B, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul Concienne
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1991 · 5 hours before
- Airport
- 4D0 · Abrams, runway 9, 3,200 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 34
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,400 total · 300 in this make and model · 750 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 50° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 14,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- LAN, 10 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.