Enstrom F-28A N137E

Summary

On 3 October 2001 at about 19:30 local time, a Enstrom F-28A registered N137E was involved in an accident near Attica, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 October 2001 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Attica, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

42.6667, -82.6264

Aircraft

Enstrom F-28A

Registration

N137E

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Almont → Lapeer

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI02FA001

1 person died.

The reported loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion during cruise flight, the pilot not performing an autorotation, the pilot not maintaining rotor RPM during his emergency descent, and the pilot not maintaining control of the helicopter. A factor was the trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter sustained substantial damage when it impacted trees and terrain following a reported in-flight loss of engine power during cruise. A witness, who was a pilot, stated, "Low rotor - R.P.M. Low - Power[.] Observed flying due North from P.T. Auto Sales." Another witness stated that the aircraft was heading northwest. The witness said that the helicopter was leaning to its left side, it appeared the motor stopped, and the helicopter went straight down. The Lapeer County Sheriff's report stated, "[The Arcadia Township Fire Chief] said that he was at the scene of the crash and indicated that he had not smelled any fuel and seen no signs of it leaking." The pilot held a student pilot certificate and an expired third-class medical certificate. He listed on that medical that he had 200 total hours of flight time. The helicopter came to rest on the nose of its cabin assembly. The front of the cabin assembly was crushed aft. The three rotor blades were found attached to the hub. The tail rotor assembly was found intact. Continuity was established to the flight control surfaces. Control continuity was established to the engine. The engine produced a thumb compression at all cylinders. The magnetos produced spark when the engine was rotated with the master switch in the on position. The fuel servo screen was found clean. A liquid was found exiting the unplugged servo screen when the electric boost pump was turned on. About an ounce of a blue colored fluid was recovered from the fuel strainer. Both fuel tanks were found compromised. The airframe revealed no signs of fuel staining. There was no smell of fuel at the accident site. Sections of ground around the cabin were dug up. The ground did not have any smell of fuel. No pre-impact anomalies were found. A fueling log, marked "100 LL", was found at the departure heliport. A fuel log entry dated October 3, 2001, had a "before" entry that stated, "38.6" and its "after" entry stated, "69.7".

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.