Summary
On August 06, 2008, a Enstrom 280FX (N285SH) was involved in an incident near Aurora, CO. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's improper planning and decision making resulting in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's premature application of collective resulting in a hard landing and substantial damage.
According to a telephone conversation with the pilot, he had just finished a photo documentation flight in the Denver International Airport area. He was returning to Centennial Airport when he noted that the fuel level was low. Shortly thereafter, the engine lost power and the pilot attempted an autorotation to an open field, resulting in a hard landing. During the landing, the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom, severing the tail rotor, and bending all three rotor blades. Following the accident, less than a quarter of a gallon of fuel was recovered from the left and right fuel tanks. Fuel was added and the engine ran without hesitation or issues for five minutes. An examination of the remaining systems revealed no anomalies.
This incident is documented in NTSB report DEN08CA134. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N285SH.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's improper planning and decision making resulting in the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's premature application of collective resulting in a hard landing and substantial damage.
Aircraft Information
Analysis
According to a telephone conversation with the pilot, he had just finished a photo documentation flight in the Denver International Airport area. He was returning to Centennial Airport when he noted that the fuel level was low. Shortly thereafter, the engine lost power and the pilot attempted an autorotation to an open field, resulting in a hard landing. During the landing, the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom, severing the tail rotor, and bending all three rotor blades. Following the accident, less than a quarter of a gallon of fuel was recovered from the left and right fuel tanks. Fuel was added and the engine ran without hesitation or issues for five minutes. An examination of the remaining systems revealed no anomalies. According to the pilot, he departed with 19 gallons of fuel, and had calculated this represented 1 hour and 20 minutes of fuel.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DEN08CA134