Enstrom 280C N84DH

Summary

On 30 September 1999 at about 00:40 local time, a Enstrom 280C registered N84DH, operated by Jeffery J. Sands, was involved in an accident near Longmont, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 September 1999 at 00:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Longmont, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Vance Brand (2V2)

Coordinates

40.1692, -105.1099

Aircraft

Enstrom 280C

Registration

N84DH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Jeffery J. Sands

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN99LA173

Nobody was injured.

An inaccurate touchdown during a full autorotation, which resulted in main rotor flex which cut off the tail boom. Factors were the pilot's lack of total experience in helicopters and high density altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While practicing autorotations, the pilot, who was a commercial pilot in single and multiengine aircraft but a student pilot in helicopters, experienced a loss of engine power for unknown reasons. During the full autorotation, which was necessitated by the power loss, the landing was hard and resulted in main rotor flex, which cut off the tail boom. Density altitude at the time was 9,000 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.