- Date
- October 1, 1989, 16:25 local (20:25 UTC)
- Place
- Berlin, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N413DBEnstrom 280FX
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891001037309A
- Case key
- 36560
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
Loss of engine power for an undetermined reason.
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 was cruising at 1000 ft AGL, when a power loss occurred. The pilot said that during an autorotative approach to land, he tried to stretch his glide in order to avoid trees, but ran out of sufficient rotor RPM before touchdown. Subsequently, the right skid collapsed during a landing in a uneven field and the helicopter rolled over on its side. No reason was found for the loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N413DB
- Reported as
- Enstrom 280FX
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 355
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-F1AD, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James Klein
- Registered owner
- Dove Air, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 22, 1989 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 5B5 · Bennington, VT
- Destination
- POU · Poughkeepsie, NY
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,495 total · 175 in this make and model · 5,400 as pilot in command · 90 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 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.