- Date
- September 8, 1989, 15:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Boston, MA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N203QEnstrom F28A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 10, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890908034109A
- Case key
- 36478
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
Failue of pilot to maintain control of the helicopter when a passenger inadvertently pushed the cyclic control. The fence (near the helipad) was considered to be a factor.
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
Drg lift-off to a hover at the beginning of a flt, a passenger (seated in the middle seat of the helicopter) inadvertently pushed the cyclic control with his leg. The plt stated that this caused the helicopter to drift left & rearward. Subsequently, a skid caught on a barbed wire fence near the helipad. Since the plt did not know what damage might have occurred, he elected to land immediately. As the helicopter was landed, the main rotor blade(s) struck a fence post.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N203Q
- Reported as
- Enstrom F28A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 271
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-C1A, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Tma Inc.
- Registered owner
- Tma, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 1MA3
- Airport
- 1MA3 · Boston 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 6,500 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 6,300 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °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.
Other investigations on N203Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.