Enstrom 280C accident near Bluffdale, Utah, August 29, 1984
On August 29, 1984 at about 1:20 am local time, a Enstrom 280C (helicopter), registered N4992M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bluffdale, Utah. It was a personal 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 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
- August 29, 1984 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Bluffdale, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom 280C · all 280Cs on the register
- Registration
- N4992M · no longer on the register · serial 1181
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT WAS PRACTICING HOVERING OVER A 40 X 60 FOOT HELICOPTER PAD. PLT STATED, A GUST OF WIND CAUGHT THE HELICOPTER MOVING IT OFF THE PAD AND INTO NEARBY POWER LINES. THE TERRAIN AROUND THE PAD SLOPES DOWN. THE POWER LINES WERE LOCATED APRX 125 FT FROM THE PAD AND WERE 50 TO 75 FT AGL, BUT ONLY 15 FT HIGHER THAN THE PAD. AFTER CONTACTING THE POWER LINE THE HELICOPTER WAS LANDED IN UNEVEN TERRAIN AND ROLLED OVER. THE PLT DID NOT HAVE A ROTORCRAFT RATING ALTHOUGH A PASSENGER WAS ON BOARD.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,677 hours in all; 1,484 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,669 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 22, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-E1BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Debron Air
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.