- Date
- June 9, 1993, 12:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Glen Mills, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N51739Enstrom 280C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930609017699A
- Case key
- 37330
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
An improperly planned approach in which the flare was not attained, and which resulted in a hard landing.
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 initiated an approach to a grass field. When he applied power to flare, he was unable to stop the descent and made a hard landing. The main rotor blades cut the tail boom off of the helicopter. Post accident examination of the helicopter by the FAA failed to find any evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51739
- Reported as
- Enstrom 280C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1141
- Airframe hours
- 4,213
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Horizon Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Horizon Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 2, 1993 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- Newark, DE
- Airport
- NONE · Glen Mills
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 171 total · 32 in this make and model · 78 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
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 N51739 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.