Enstrom F-28F accident near Wilmington, Delaware, November 14, 1989
On November 14, 1989 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Enstrom F-28F (helicopter), registered N8627J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wilmington, Delaware. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AS A RESULT OF THE STUDENT PILOT INADVERTENTLY PULLING THE MIXTURE CONTROL TO THE IDLE CUT-OFF POSITION, AND THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR'S INADEQUATE SUPERVISION. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ROUGH AND UNEVEN TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1989 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wilmington, Delaware · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28F · all F-28Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8627J · no longer on the register · serial 760
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT, THE CFI AND STUDENT WERE PERFORMING THE PRE-LANDING CHECKLIST WHEN THE STUDENT WAS INSTRUCTED TO PUT THE MIXTURE CONTROL IN THE FULL RICH POSITION. INSTEAD OF ADVANCING THE MIXTURE CONTROL THE STUDENT PULLED THE MIXTURE TO IDLE CUT-OFF. ENGINE POWER WAS LOST AND THE CFI INTIATED A FORCED LANDING TO A FIELD. THE ONLY FIELD AVAILABLE WAS ROUGH AND COVERED WITH 3 TO 4 FT TALL WEEDS. DURING THE LANDING, THE RIGHT SKID DUG INTO THE TERRAIN AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER ONTO ITS RIGHT SIDE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,010 hours in all; 1,219 in this make and model; 1,695 as pilot in command; 706 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-F1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N92 Middletown DE
- Destination: ILG Wilmington DE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N8627J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO90LA011.