- Date
- June 29, 2005, 12:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Scofield, UT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N480EHEnstrom 480B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 27, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20050629011989A
- Case key
- 61839
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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter. Contributing factor's include the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from 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
According to the pilot, he was conducting an "aerial photo shoot" and was attempting to level off, but the helicopter continued to descend. The pilot attempted to increase his forward speed and arrest the descent; however, the helicopter continued to descend. The pilot stated that he lowered the collective in an attempt to perform a "quick stop." The tail rotor impacted the ground and the helicopter "began to rotate." The pilot stated the helicopter bounced several times before coming to rest in a field with heavy sagebrush vegetation. The helicopter was substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
On June 29, 2005, approximately 1210 mountain daylight time, an Enstrom 480B, N480EH, operated by a private pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering west of Scofield Reservoir, Scofield, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local business flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and his passenger reported no injuries.
According to the accident report submitted by the pilot, he was conducting an "aerial photo shoot" near the Scofield Mountain Estates subdivision. The pilot stated that during a descent over one of the lots, he attempted to level off, but the helicopter continued to descend. The pilot attempted to increase his forward speed and arrest the descent, but the helicopter continued to descend. The pilot stated that he lowered the collective in an attempt to perform a "quick stop." The tail rotor impacted the ground and the helicopter "began to rotate." The pilot stated the helicopter bounced several times before coming to rest in a field with heavy sagebrush vegetation. During the impact, the left skid collapsed, and the tail rotor skid struck the ground, bending both tail rotor blades. The tail boom was bent to the right and forward, and the fuselage was wrinkled forward of the boom and along the right side of the helicopter. An examination of the helicopter's systems revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N480EH
- Reported as
- Enstrom 480B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 5046
- Airframe hours
- 447
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce 250-C20W, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ranch Properties LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2004 · 81 hours before
- Departed
- Scofield, UT
- Airport
- None
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
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,602 total · 267 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.17 inHg
- Observed at
- PUC, 20 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.