- Date
- June 27, 1993, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ironton, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9555Enstrom F-28A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930627020689A
- Case key
- 38612
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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. The lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing was a factor.
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 instructor and student were cruising in the helicopter at about 1000 feet above the terrain, when, according to the instructor, 'the engine began to miss, causing [a] violent yaw. [I] immediately wrapped the throttle off and lowered the collective.' The pilot initiated an autorotation into a yard near a house. The tail rotor struck a tree during this maneuver. An examination of the engine revealed no discrepancies, and the engine was successfully run at a test facility.
Factual narrative
On Sunday, June 27, 1993, at 1400 eastern daylight time, an Enstrom F 28A, N9555, registered to Hier Aviation, Inc., and piloted by Daniel R. Hieronimus, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing in Ironton, Ohio. The certified flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The pilot stated, "While flying at approximately 15-1800' MSL the engine began to miss causing violent yaw. [I] immediately wrapped the throttle off and lowered the collective and advised [the student] that we were going ... to land."
The pilot performed an autorotation to a yard near a house. During this maneuver, the pilot had to modify the flight path in order to avoid power lines and personnel on the ground, and the tail struck a tree.
Mr. Stanley P. Faske, Principal Maintenance Inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration, conducted an examination of the helicopter. In his report, Mr. Faske stated:
At the accident site, the engine was inspected and nothing was found which would have prevented the engine from producing power. On August 24, 1993 N9555 was test run.... The engine ran normally and produced power throughout all RPM ranges.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9555
- Reported as
- Enstrom F-28A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 062
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hier Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 15, 1993 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- HTW · Lawrence, 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
- 44
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,810 total · 310 in this make and model · 27 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HTS, 3 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.