Event LAX89FA238

1989-07-11 OAKLAND, California, United States Airport · OAK None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N288

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

SCHLEICHER ASW-20

Year of manufacture

1981 · 8 years old at event

Engine

NONE NONE

Seats / Engines

1 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19820917

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A2EBB2

Registrant of record

TAYLOR NATHAN R

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N288 Enstrom F28F None

Probable cause & findings

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM THROUGHOUT THE AUTOROTATION.

Factual narrative

THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT ELECTED TO CONDUCT A PRACTICE AUTOROTATION WITH TURN AND RECOVER WITH POWER. THE PILOT WAS FLYING WITH A PASSENGER. THE PILOT ALLOWED THE ROTOR RPM TO BLEED OFF AND WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER THE RPM BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD COLLAPSING THE SKID TYPE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM. THE MAIN ROTOR THEN CONTACTED THE TAILBOOM. THE HELICOPTER SLID ABOUT 100 FEET AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND ROTATED 90 DEGREES TO THE LEFT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_LAX89FA238.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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