Enstrom F-28A accident near Bangor, Maine, August 10, 1994
On August 10, 1994 at about 1:30 am local time, a Enstrom F-28A (helicopter), registered N292Q, was destroyed in an accident near Bangor, Maine. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of aircraft control. Factors are dark night conditions, and the pilot's execution of an evasive maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1994 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Bangor, Maine
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28A · all F-28As on the register
- Registration
- N292Q · no longer on the register · serial 312
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter collided with terrain during cruise flight at night over wooded terrain in conditions which the pilot described as 'no ground light or cellestial lights.' According to the pilot, he noticed a fast 'moving light coming from my left to right at what appeared to be my altitude.' He did an evasive manuever to avoid a collision, but in doing so he lost control of the helicopter which collided with underlying trees. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 331 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 203 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,249 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 7, 1994; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BHB Bar Harbor ME at 2:00 am
- Destination: HUL Houlton ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.