Enstrom 280C accident near Midway, Utah, January 2, 1982
On January 2, 1982 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Enstrom 280C (helicopter), registered N51735, was destroyed in an accident near Midway, Utah (Field Ranch). 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- January 2, 1982 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Midway, Utah · Field Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280C · all 280Cs on the register
- Registration
- N51735 · registry record · serial 1139
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED WHILE BEING MOVED ABOUT 150 FT FROM THE PARKING AREA TO A STORAGE BUILDING. THERE WAS ABOUT 2 1/2 FT OF FRESH SNOW ON THE GROUND. THE SNOW HAD BEEN CLEARED FROM THE PARKING AREA IN FRONT OF THE STORAGE BUILDING. HOWEVER, A SNOW CAT HAD MOVED INTO THE PARKING AREA AND HAD STOPPED AS THE PILOT WAS APPROACHING TO LAND. THE PILOT REPORTED THIS MADE THE PARKING AREA UNUSABLE. BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A WHITE-OUT CONDITION DUE TO THE HEAVY CIRCULATION OF SNOW AND BECAME DISORIENTED. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 109 hours in all; 109 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 287 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-E1BD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Field Ranch at 2:15 pm
- Destination: Field Ranch
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°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.