- Date
- June 6, 1990, 17:30 local (Jun 7, 1990, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Camas, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N51729Enstrom F28C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900606040269A
- Case key
- 41224
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 failure of a sprag clutch in the rotor-drive mechanism, at an altitude and position that precluded or limited the possibility of a successful outcome.
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 owner of the Enstrom helicopter, which was out of annual inspection limitations, elected to fly it off a trailer in order to reposition it for maintenance prior to a ferry flight. At about fifty feet, he heard a loud noise, the engine speed increased, and the engine became disengaged from the rotor drive system. An autorotation was made, but the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The owner stated he believed that the sprag clutch failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51729
- Reported as
- Enstrom F28C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 420
- Airframe hours
- 795
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Darrell R. Jones
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 29, 1988
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
- Airline transport, 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
- 2,520 total · 715 in this make and model · 2,230 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.