Enstrom 480 N480FX
5 August 2005 · Goshen, Indiana, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 5 August 2005 at about 16:00 local time, a Enstrom 480 registered N480FX, operated by Andrew Heytow, was involved in an accident near Goshen, Indiana, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Goshen, Indiana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Goshen Municipal Airport (KGSH)
- Coordinates
- 41.5272, -85.7922
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 480
- Registration
- N480FX
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Andrew Heytow
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Grand Rapids → Goshen
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI05LA218
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
Ground resonance experienced by the pilots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The certified flight instructor (CFI) stated that the student smoothly lowered the collective and set the helicopter on the ground as he was rolling off the throttle. The helicopter then started to bounce (ground resonance) and the CFI reached down to make sure the collective was down and the throttle was off. The helicopter continued to "shake violently and ripped itself apart." The helicopter had a new design of elastomeric damper installed 91 flight hours before the accident. The new design dampers had been flight tested at the factory and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration prior to being put into service. The helicopter had experienced severe vibrations on two previous flights, one of which resulted in the chin bubble being broken. Inspection of the accident dampers, at the damper manufacturer's factory, determined the dampers were within manufacturer's specifications. After the accident flight the helicopter manufacturer recalled all the new design elastomeric dampers.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Enstrom 480 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 2005 | Enstrom 480B | Scofield, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 2008 | Enstrom 480B | Marinette, Wisconsin, United States | Enstrom Helicopter Corporation | No injuries | - |
| 28 May 2009 | Enstrom 480B | Dominican Republic, Dominican Republic | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Jan 2001 | Enstrom 480 | Dryden, Michigan, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 1998 | Enstrom 480 | Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 May 2017 | Enstrom 480B | Fundres, Italy | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 2005 | Twin Commander Acft 680V | Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 2005 | Piper PA-32-300 | Wabash, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 10 Feb 2005 | Gulfstream American 690C | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Apr 2005 | Tschida GLASTAR | Kendallville, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 2005 | Piper PA-32-300 | Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 2005 | Hildebrant RUTAN DEFIANT | Bloomfield, Indiana, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |