Enstrom 280FX N409LH

Summary

On 8 December 2014 at about 18:15 local time, a Enstrom 280FX registered N409LH, operated by Mountain One Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Fort Lupton, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 December 2014 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Lupton, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Platte Valley (18V)

Coordinates

40.0794, -104.8008

Aircraft

Enstrom 280FX

Registration

N409LH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Mountain One Helicopters

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greeley → Fort Lupton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA084

1 person had minor injuries.

The loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that, during a solo cross-country flight, the helicopter experienced a total loss of engine power during cruise flight. The pilot performed an autorotation to a field. During the landing flare, the helicopter's tail struck the ground, which resulted in the main rotor blades flexing upward and severing the tail rotor from the tailboom. The helicopter then fell to the ground and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The operator test ran the engine and noted no anomalies; no further engine examination or testing was conducted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.