Enstrom F-28A accident near Lino Lakes, Minnesota, April 13, 2003
On April 13, 2003 at about 2:23 am local time, a Enstrom F-28A (helicopter), registered N26HW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lino Lakes, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining aircraft control while manuevering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2003 · about 2:23 am local time
- Place
- Lino Lakes, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28A · all F-28As on the register
- Registration
- N26HW · no longer on the register · serial 80
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-helicopter rated pilot was maneuvering and the aircraft descended and impacted the terrain. The pilot reported, "Did a number of approaches and hovers. On last one, aircraft seemed to accelerate with power to the ground." The pilot reported, on the NTSB accident form, there was no mechanical malfunction or failure. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the pilot's last aviation medical examination was performed on September 25, 1991.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-C1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANE Minneapolis MN at 11:30 pm
- Destination: MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 1:58 am from ANE, 5 miles away
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.