Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Easton, Pennsylvania 18042
Wednesday, November 28, 1990 9:45 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
IN CRUISE FLT THE HELICOPTER UNEXPECTEDLY ROLLED 90 DEGREES LEFT. THE PILOT AUTOROTATED TO A LANDING, ROLLING OVER UPON TOUCHDOWN. THE LEFT SIDE CABIN MOUNT BRACKET WHICH HOLDS THE INTERMEDIATE BELLCRANK FOR LATERAL CONTROL HAD FRACTURED. THE FRACTURE SURFACE BORE EVIDENCE OF OVERLOAD AND FATIGUE. THE BELLCRANK WAS TIGHT IN THE CABIN MOUNT BRACKET. IN ADDITION, THE RIGHT SIDE CABIN MOUNT BRACKET WHICH HOLD THE INTERMEDIATE BELLCRANK FOR FORE AND AFT CONTROL HAD A CRACK. THE FRACTURE SURFACE WAS TYPICAL OF OVERLOAD. THE HELICOPTER HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN INVOLVED IN A HARD LANDING WITH A BLADE STRIKE ON THE TAIL BOOM. NO RECORDS WERE AVAILABLE TO INDICATE THE REPAIRS CONDUCTED. ACCORDING TO ENSTROM HELICOPTERS, THESE FRACTURES ARE TYPICALLY SEEN FOLLOWING A BLADE STRIKE. ACCORDING TO AN ENSTROM HELICOPTERS SERVICE LETTER, '...CYCLIC AND COLLECTIVE TORQUE TUBES, BELLCRANKS, AND FITTING...' ARE REQUIRED INSPECTIONS ITEMS FOLLOWING A BLADE STRIKE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
AN INFLIGHT FAILURE OF THE LEFT SIDE CABIN MOUNT BRACKET WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF LATERAL CYCLIC CONTROL. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: AN INCOMPLETE INSPECTION OF THE HELICOPTER FOLLOWING A HARD LANDING WITH A BLADE STRIKE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 11/28/1990 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 945 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | EASTON |
| Event State | PENNSYLVANIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 18042 |
| Event Date Year | 1990 |
| Event Date Month | 11 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 4500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 3 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 240 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 8 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 1 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2279 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Nov 28 1990 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1109 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 44623 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 5:34PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4953X |
| NTSB Number | NYC91LA040 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | ENSTROM |
| Aircraft Model | F-28C |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | F-28C |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 469 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2350 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 3 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 12 1990 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 25 |
| Airframe Hours | 2450 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | |
| Aircraft Owner City | |
| Aircraft Owner State | |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | JERRY ENGEL |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 160 WILD FLOWER CIRCLE |
| Operator City | YARDLEY |
| Operator State | PA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 19067 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Business |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 945 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | TTN |
| Destination City | TRENTON |
| Destination State | NJ |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |