- Date
- April 18, 1986, 06:28 local (10:28 UTC)
- Place
- Ridgefield, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N51721Enstrom F-280C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 10, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860418014779A
- Case key
- 30324
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
Seconds after an over-water takeoff from a shoreline helipad the acft impacted the water and sank. The pilot and pax escaped from the submerged acft and were not injured. The pilot claimed that he had a split needle in which the rotor RPM deteriorated. The pax stated that the pilot was in a hurry and lifted less than 10 feet before turning and taking off over the water. Examination of the clutch and drive belt assembly did not reveal any discrepencies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51721
- Reported as
- Enstrom F-280C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Airframe hours
- 2,721
- Engine
- Lycoming HI0-360-E-1AD, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Spectrum Helicopter, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 8, 1986 · 67 hours before
- Departed
- Ridgefield Park, NJ
- Airport
- 3NJ8 · Lambros Heliport
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,006 total · 218 in this make and model · 1,891 as pilot in command · 103 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft unknown
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.