Event WPR20TA039

Factual narrative

On December 11, 2019, about 1630 mountain standard time, an Enstrom F28F helicopter, N65RS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Riverton, Utah. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The unregistered helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. In an interview with the pilot, he stated that he did not have a pilot’s certificate, that he had not flown the helicopter “in years” and intended to relocate it on his property. The pilot stated that on the approach to land, the tail rotor may have struck an object while he was about 6 feet above ground level (agl). The pilot initially increased the collective to go-around, but the main rotors struck a tree, so he then lowered the collective to land. The helicopter landed hard and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, main rotor, and tail rotor assemblies. According to a witness, who was located across the street from the pilot’s residence, he observed the helicopter in the process of landing to an open field. He saw the helicopter get close to the ground, then it climbed up to about 30 or 40 feet above the ground and started to rotate about the main rotor. The helicopter then descended and struck a tree while falling to the ground. The helicopter came to rest on an area of the owner’s property. A tree near the wreckage exhibited broken branches, consistent with contact with the helicopter. Examination of the airframe revealed that the tail rotor gearbox housing was broken across the gear interface, consistent with a severe ground strike while the tail rotor was turning. The control cable on the left side was separated and the cable on the right side was intact. Both cables were unbolted from the tail rotor controls. The owner reported that he disconnected both cables to simplify recovering the wreckage. Both tail rotor blades were still attached to the hub, but they were damaged to the extent that the skins were separated from the spars. The bending was consistent with a severe ground strike while they were being driven. One of the blades had significant out-of-plane bending consistent with the aircraft rotating during the impact. The tail rotor control system from the cable attachments through the blades was intact and operated smoothly. The tail rotor cable on the left side of the aircraft was separated. The separation was located roughly in line with the tip of the tail rotor blade. Superficially, the separation was consistent with being cut by a blunt object with relatively high energy, such as a tail rotor blade. There were marks on the tail rotor drive shaft that appeared to match the tail rotor cable. These marks would be consistent with a section of tail rotor cable having contacted the drive shaft while it was rotating. Except for the separation of this cable and the fact that both cables had been disconnected at the tail rotor control yoke, the tail rotor control system was continuous. Except for the tail rotor control cable, no other preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions were found that would have precluded normal operation.  The helicopter was manufactured in 1990. The last registration certificate on file with the FAA was for the prior owner, dated October 26, 1993. A document on file with the FAA cancelled the helicopter’s registration on September 6, 2012. The last airworthiness certificate on file with the FAA was dated February 21, 1990. The helicopter had been stored outdoors and not maintained in about four years. The last maintenance recorded for the aircraft and engine was September 18, 2015. One entry for the engine described a 100-hour inspection. At the beginning of the entry, it stated that the engine was inspected in accordance with a 100-hour inspection and found to be in an unairworthy condition. At the end of the same entry, it was signed with a statement that indicated the aircraft and/or components were inspected…and was found airworthy. One entry for the airframe described an annual inspection. At the beginning of the entry, it stated that the airframe had been inspected in accordance with an annual inspection and found to be unairworthy. A list of discrepancies has been supplied to the owner dated June 2, 2015. The owner did not provide a copy of the list. In the same entry it stated, “(82) Customer declined a main rotor blade track and balance check. Item is determined to be unairworthy by technicians due to excessive down time.” The pilot did not submit a National Transportation Safety Board Form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report. The noncertificated pilot, who hadn’t flown “in years,” flew the helicopter to relocate it to another part of his property. The helicopter, which was not registered, and did not have an airworthiness certificate, had been stored outside and had not been maintained during the past 4 years. During the approach to land, the left-side tail rotor control cable was struck by the tail rotor, likely due to the prolonged lack of maintenance, which resulted in a loss of control. The pilot subsequently lowered the collective to land, and the main rotor blades struck a tree in the descent, and the helicopter landed hard. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
• — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action selection-Pilot
• — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Lack of action-Maintenance personnel