- Date
- October 28, 1984, 10:10 local (15:10 UTC)
- Place
- Butler, PA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N51686Enstrom 280C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841028058679A
- Case key
- 35786
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 helicopter struck the static line of a high voltage transmission line while on a flt to photograph an apartment complex. The owner of the complex accompanied the plt on the flt, there after the acft was to be used for passenger sightseeing flts as part of sales promotion for a restaurant. Investigation revealed the rear of the helicopter struck the line, the acft pitched down & hit the hillside & continued its crash trajectory onto hwy 68. Examination of the acft did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51686
- Reported as
- Enstrom 280C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1113
- Airframe hours
- 1
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Action Air Helicopters,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Roy E. Ferree
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 10, 1984 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- Butler, PA
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
- 26
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 372 total · 187 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIT, 23 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.