- Date
- April 22, 1990, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Thornton, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N493HEnstrom 280
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900422011739A
- Case key
- 36630
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
Failure to attain a proper climb rate after takeoff from a confined area. Factors include gusty winds and high obstructions.
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 taking off from a confined area with one passenger onboard. The pilot reported a power loss at 40 feet AGL and made a 180 degree turn to a downwind landing. The FAA reported the helicopter hit a tree and landed hard with damage to tail rotor, tail boom and main rotor drive shaft. They also reported they ran the engine after the accident with no load on it and said it operated normally. They reported the winds were variable and there were gusts at the time of takeoff.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N493H
- Reported as
- Enstrom 280
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1014
- Airframe hours
- 2,161
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-C1A, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- H. Pphillips Davies
- Registered owner
- Ami, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 6, 1990 · 9 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · Thornburg
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
- 56
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,500 total · 5,400 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °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.