N409LH

On April 20, 2009, a Enstrom 280FX (N409LH) was involved in an incident near Dacono, 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: A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

According to the instructor, the student pilot was making a practice autorotation to be followed by a powered recovery in preparation for his taking the private pilot practical test. When power was added, only 2500 rpm (revolutions per minute) instead of 3050 rpm was attained. A forced landing ensued and the helicopter slid approximately 2 feet on a rain-soaked field. The skid toes dug into the soft ground, stopping forward movement and causing the fuselage to shift forward. The main rotor blades contacted and severed the tail rotor driveshaft. In addition, the the tail rotor gearbox, tailboom, and a main rotor blade were damaged.

Post-accident examination of the engine and power train revealed no anomalies that would have prevented the engine from producing full power.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN09CA257. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N409LH.