- Date
- May 17, 1989, 12:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Spgs, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N624HEnstrom 280C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890517011689A
- Case key
- 17709
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
Inadequate compensation for the wind conditions by the pilot. The high density altitude and wind conditions were contributing factors.
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
After returning from a local photo flt, the plt made an apch to a hover landing near the apch end of rwy 17. He was then cleared to cross the rwy & proceed (south-southeast) to the intended parking area. As he started forward & began a climb, he noticed what he believed was a partial power loss & he initiated a hovering autorotation. The helicopter touched down with forward speed & slid to a stop, then rocked backward & to the left, damaging the main & tail rotor blades. A post acdnt eng run was made, but no reason was found for the rprtd power loss. The prevailing wind was from 340 deg at 10 KTS. The plt rprtd the wind was gusting to 20 KTS. Density altitude was calculated to be 7300 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N624H
- Reported as
- Enstrom 280C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1078
- Airframe hours
- 4,300
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Falcon Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Mike Gonsales
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- COS
- Destination
- COS
- Airport
- COS · Colorado Springs, runway 17, 11,021 × 150 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
- 46
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,300 total · 150 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 188 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COS, 1 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.