ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 237300
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Tuesday 23 June 2020 |
| Time: | 17:01 |
| Type: |  Enstrom 280FX Shark |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N280MM |
| MSN: | 2099 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2003 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1793 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming HI0-360 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Hayden, ID -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Coeur d'Alene Airport/Pappy Boyington Field, ID (COE/KCOE) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On June 23, 2020, about 1701 Pacific daylight time, an Enstrom 280 FX helicopter, N280MM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Hayden, Idaho. The student pilot was fatally injured, and the flight instructor was seriously injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
Shortly after takeoff on an instructional flight, a helicopter was maneuvering at a low altitude when the engine rpm “skyrocketed,” and the engine lost total power; the flight instructor (who was at the controls) reported hearing “backfiring” at the time, although the engine was still running. The flight instructor then had to maneuver the helicopter to avoid nearby power lines, but the helicopter impacted terrain. The main rotor blades struck the tailboom, and the helicopter subsequently spun around about 180° before coming to rest. A postcrash fire then ensued, which consumed most of the helicopter. Additionally, the student pilot stated to a witness after the accident that the helicopter was losing power.
An engine examination revealed that detonation had occurred in two of the four engine cylinders. (Detonation in a piston engine occurs when the fuel-air mixture in a cylinder detonates or explodes prematurely instead of being ignited by spark plugs and burning evenly and smoothly, as occurs with normal combustion.) Furthermore, damaged spark plugs were observed in one of the detonated cylinders as well as another cylinder. The combined effects of the detonation and damaged spark plugs likely caused the loss of engine power. Because the loss of power occurred at a low altitude, the flight instructor likely did not have enough altitude to adequately establish a steady-state autorotation to avoid the helicopter’s impact with terrain.
Probable Cause: The total loss of power while maneuvering at low altitude due to the detonation of two engine cylinders and damaged spark plugs.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.ibtimes.com/helicopter-crashes-near-highway-idaho-pilot-passenger-injured-2999589
https://www.kootenaivalleytimes.com/boundary/helicopter-crash-in-rathdrum-sends-two-to-harborview/article_e1c260ba-b5d5-11ea-96a1-bb7fc28c13dc.html
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N280MM
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=280MM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/egwu/29495900358 (photo)
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Jun-2020 08:53 | gerard57 | Added |
| 24-Jun-2020 10:17 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 24-Jun-2020 11:33 | Geno | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source] |
| 25-Jun-2020 07:41 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative] |
| 22-May-2021 20:04 | Anon. | Updated [Total fatalities, Narrative] |
| 17-Aug-2022 00:29 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation