Event LAX03LA119

Factual narrative

On March, 28, 2003, about 1650 Pacific standard time, an Enstrom 280FX, N5698M, lost engine power on short final approach and made a hard landing at San Carlos, California. The helicopter was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The local personal flight originated at San Carlos about 1445. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot stated to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that the helicopter performed normally throughout the local photography flight. As he made a long approach towards the departure end of runway 30, he executed a 15-foot flare for landing. The low fuel pressure light illuminated, and he verified that the fuel boost pump was on. As he "rolled the throttle on," the engine "sputtered and went dead." In an attempt to safely land the helicopter the pilot made a hard autorotative landing. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector from the San Jose, California, Flight Standards District Office responded to the accident and reported the following damage. The tail boom was severed at the bulkhead directly aft of the engine compartment, the right fuel tank was breached, the tail rotor gear box detached from the airframe, and a rotor blade buckled approximately 2 feet outboard of the rotor hub blade attach point. The right fuel tank had been breached making it not possible to determine the quantity of fuel onboard just prior to the accident. The Enstrom 280FX flight manual states: "The (fuel) system consists of two interconnected 21 US gallon each fuel tanks, which feed simultaneously to the engine.... The tanks have a total capacity of 42 US gallons, with a total of 2 gallons unusable fuel, 1 gallon unusable fuel in each tank." Fueling receipts from Rabbit Aviation Services show that the helicopter was fueled on two separate occasions on the day of the accident. At 1125, 32.9 gallons of fuel were added, and at 1403, 39.4 gallons were added. The pilot reported a takeoff time of 1445, and a witness saw the helicopter takeoff around 30 minutes after the 1403 fueling. Endurance calculations taken from a table in the 280FX maintenance manual states that at 30 inches of manifold pressure and 78 percent power, the endurance at sea level is 2.0 hours. At 32 inches of manifold pressure and 83 percent power, the endurance is 1.8 hours. The helicopter was returning from a local area photography flight when the engine lost power during the landing flare causing the helicopter to land hard. The pilot stated that he made a long approach towards the departure end of runway 30, he executed a 15-foot flare for landing. The low fuel pressure light illuminated, he verified that the fuel boost pump was on, and as he "rolled the throttle on," the engine "sputtered and went dead." In an attempt to safely land the helicopter the pilot made a hard autorotative landing causing substantial damage. Fueling receipts from Rabbit Aviation Services show that the helicopter was fueled on two separate occasions on the day of the accident. At 1125, 32.9 gallons of fuel were added, and at 1403, 39.4 gallons were added. The Enstrom 280FX has a usable fuel capacity of 40 gallons. At 30 inches of manifold pressure and 78 percent power, the endurance at sea level is 2.0 hours. At 32 inches of manifold pressure and 83 percent power, the endurance is 1.8 hours. The pilot reported taking off at 1445, and the accident occurred about 1650. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12