Enstrom 280FX accident near Fort Lupton, Colorado, December 8, 2014
On December 8, 2014 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Enstrom 280FX (helicopter), registered N409LH, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Fort Lupton, Colorado (Platte Valley airport). It was an instructional 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 loss of engine power during cruise flight for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2014 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lupton, Colorado · Platte Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280FX · all 280FXs on the register
- Registration
- N409LH · registry record · serial 2014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, during a solo cross-country flight, the helicopter experienced a total loss of engine power during cruise flight. The pilot performed an autorotation to a field. During the landing flare, the helicopter's tail struck the ground, which resulted in the main rotor blades flexing upward and severing the tail rotor from the tailboom. The helicopter then fell to the ground and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The operator test ran the engine and noted no anomalies; no further engine examination or testing was conducted.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Autorotation Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 57 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,063 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 2014
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-F!AD (piston); 3,463 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KGXY Greeley CO at 5:45 pm
- Destination: 18V Fort Lupton CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from EIK, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N409LH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.