Enstrom F-28A incident near Muncie, Indiana, July 3, 1984
On July 3, 1984 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Enstrom F-28A (helicopter), registered N13CM, suffered minor damage in an incident near Muncie, Indiana (Delaware CO. airport). It was a business 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1984 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Muncie, Indiana · Delaware CO. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28A · all F-28As on the register
- Registration
- N13CM · registry record · serial 090
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, HE WAS IN A 20 DEG LEFT BANK WITH AN AIRSPEED OF ABOUT 40 KTS WHEN THE HELICOPTER BEGAN ROTATION TO THE RIGHT. HE ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION & LANDED WITH A FORWARD SPEED OF ABOUT 5 KTS. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT HAD FAILED. THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD ABOUT 1314 FLT HRS OF OPERATION.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,077 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 9,525 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,314 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-C1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IND Indianapolis IN at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from MIE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N13CM 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.