# NTSB SEA02LA075: Enstrom F-28C, N51769, Hot Springs, MT, April 20, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 20, 2002, 15:00 local (21:00 UTC) - Place: Hot Springs, MT - Coordinates: 48.189533, -114.380844 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.1895&lon=-114.3808&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report October 24, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 54587 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA02LA075 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54587/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54587 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA02LA075 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to adequately compensate for unfavorable wind conditions. Factors include unfavorable/shifting winds, and a tailwind gust. ## Analysis The pilot was taking off in variable winds in a helicopter that was near its maximum certified gross weight. Just as the aircraft started to move forward out of a hover, the wind shifted from a headwind to a tailwind gust. The pilot was unable to adequately compensate for the unfavorable wind change, and the helicopter impacted the terrain with sufficient force for the main rotor to come in contact with the tail boom. ## Factual narrative On April 20, 2002, approximately 1500 mountain daylight time, an Enstrom F-28C helicopter, N51769, collided with terrain just after liftoff from an off-airport site near Hot Springs, Montana. The commercial pilot and his two passengers were not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The local 14 CFR, Part 91 pleasure flight was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. There was no report of an ELT activation. According to the pilot, when he and his passengers boarded the helicopter, the winds were almost nonexistent. But, by the time he was ready to lift off, the winds were variable at about ten knots. In a telephone interview with the Investigator-In-Charge (IIC), the pilot said that right after liftoff, just as the helicopter was starting to move forward, the wind shifted from a headwind to a tailwind gust. Although he attempted to compensate for the change in relative wind, the pilot was unsuccessful, and the helicopter impacted the terrain with sufficient force to result in the main rotor coming in contact with the tail boom. According to the fuel and occupant weights provided by the pilot, the aircraft was being operated within 25 pounds of its certified maximum gross weight. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with terrain/water, takeoff - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - unfavorable wind (contributing factor) - weather condition - tailwind (contributing factor) - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N51769](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N51769), registered now, S/N 443 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Enstrom F-28C - Registry model: [Enstrom F-28C](https://openairdocs.org/model/enstrom-f-28c) (registry code 3300407) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming HIO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-hio-360-series) (registry code 41524, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 466 - Engines: Lycoming HIO-360-EIAD 205 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Trent W. Massie - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: Hot Springs, MT ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 37; injuries: none; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; flight hours: 1,470 total, 850 in this make and model, 1,270 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 10 knots, gusting 15 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 61 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020420007659A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020420007659A), Apr 20, 2002: Enstrm F28C, Hotsprings, MT, No damage. (-23) Pilot stated that, after takeoff from a field near hot springs, MT, the helicopter began to settle back toward the ground. He thought the wind might have… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 15, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54587. 325 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 291 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40432517&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Supplement S (item 2, .PDF, 34 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40165745&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Supplement%20S-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.