- Date
- February 28, 1984, 17:20 local (Feb 29, 1984, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Middleton, ID
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N51715Enstrom 280C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840228006709A
- Case key
- 39794
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft collided with the terrain during a test flt. Witnesses observed the acft rotate about 180 degrees about its vertical axis go nose low and descend vertically to the ground. A noise change described as a 'sputter' or tone change' was heard during this maneuver. During the post accident inspection of the engine the magneto was found to be loose enough to rotate through an arc of almost 60 degrees radially about its drive shaft. No other discrepancies were found except a puncture in the engine case directly below the lower swash plate assembly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51715
- Reported as
- Enstrom 280C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1128
- Airframe hours
- 4,805
- Engine
- Lycoming HI0-360-E1AD, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Skywatch Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 15, 1982 · 268 hours before
- Departed
- 64U · Middleton, ID
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,630 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BOI, 22 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.