NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR25LA010
Registry · N646H
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
ENSTROM HELICOPTER CORP 280C
Year of manufacture
1977 · 47 years old at event
TCDS
H1CE · ENSTROM HELICOPTER CORP THE
Engine
LYCOMING HI0-360 SER (205 hp)
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19970210
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A87C34
Registrant of record
STYER DAVID B
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain engine and rotor rpm during takeoff, that resulted in a hard landing.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the helicopter reported that, after completing an aerial application, he returned to the mix vehicle for an additional load. While reloading the helicopter, he noticed the wind direction was changing and “blowing harder” and may have shifted to a quartering tailwind. During takeoff from the mix vehicle, the engine and main rotor blade rpm started to decay. He aborted the takeoff and made a run on landing to an open field near the mix vehicle. During the landing the main rotor blades tilted aft and severed the tailboom. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. 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).
- — Aircraft-Aircraft propeller/rotor-Main rotor system-Main rotor blade system-Capability exceeded
- — Aircraft-Aircraft propeller/rotor-Main rotor system-(general)-Incorrect use/operation
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft power plant-Engine (reciprocating)-(general)-Incorrect use/operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2024_WPR25LA010.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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