- Date
- June 5, 1992, 08:50 local (12:50 UTC)
- Place
- Malvern, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N296QEnstrom F28A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920605018829A
- Case key
- 37157
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 pilot abruptly moved the cyclic rearward which resulted in the main rotor blades striking and separating the tail boom. A factor in this accident was the soft muddy field.
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 pilot made a precautionary landing in a cornfield because the weather conditions had deteriorated. Upon landing, the front of the skids started to sink into the muddy ground. The pilot attempted to stop the skids from sinking by pulling rearward on the cyclic, the main rotor blades struck and severed the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N296Q
- Reported as
- Enstrom F28A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 375
- Airframe hours
- 1,780
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-CIA, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- William Muggleston
- Registered owner
- Freedom Traffic Patrol Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 13, 1991 · 96 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
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
- 42
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,800 total · 275 in this make and model · 10,500 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.