- Date
- June 5, 1988, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Westerly, RI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N580HEnstrom F-28C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880605018009A
- Case key
- 36164
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 instructor pilot stated that after executing several straight-in and 180 degree autorotations they decided to attempt some hovering autorotations. After executing the first one successfully in a tailwind situation, the student initiated the second one, still downwind, from a stabilized 3 to 5 foot hover. The CFI stated that the nose of the helicopter began to pitch down very abruptly and both he and the student applied aft cyclic. Directional control was maintained; however, the acft collided with the ground with the main rotors and the forward portion of the skids. The helicopter then rocked back to a level attitude and was shut down.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N580H
- Reported as
- Enstrom F-28C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 375
- Airframe hours
- 2,076
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Copters Unlimited, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 19, 1988 · 55 hours before
- Airport
- WST · Westerly State, runway 25, 4,000 × 100 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
- 25
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 800 total · 450 in this make and model · 655 as pilot in command · 98 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.