- Date
- April 6, 1991, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Leetonia, OH
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N58KCEnstrom F28A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910406009149A
- Case key
- 36904
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
The helicopter hover performance was exceeded by the pilot and his failure to perform a normal approach to a landing. Factors were the high winds and the tailwind condition.
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
A 67 years old helicopter student pilot with an expired student certificate and medical attempted to land in a field with strong winds gusting to 24 knots. The helicopter was at a high hover maneuvering into the field and as he turned downwind he settled with power into surrounding trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N58KC
- Reported as
- Enstrom F28A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 208
- Airframe hours
- 1,817
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-C1A, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John L. Sikora
- Registered owner
- Coin Contracting, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 30, 1989
- Departed
- 29G · Ravenna, OH
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
- 67
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Flight hours
- 36 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 12 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- YNG, 18 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.