Enstrom F-28C accident near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, September 27, 2013
On September 27, 2013 at about 11:38 pm local time, a 1980 Enstrom F-28C (helicopter), registered N631DP, suffered minor damage in an accident during standing (engine(s) operating) near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It was an other work-use 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 relieved pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the rotating main rotor blades after he exited the helicopter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2013 · about 11:38 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Enstrom F-28C, built 1980 · all F-28Cs on the register
- Registration
- N631DP · registry record · serial 492-2
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner had just taken control of the helicopter from another pilot. As the relieved pilot was walking away from the helicopter and between the 10- and 11-o'clock position forward of the helicopter, he came into contact with a rotating main rotor blade. The pilot/owner stated that, when exiting the helicopter, it was the company's practice to disengage the rotor drive system and secure the collective control. In this condition, the rotor blades droop below the normal height, and the drooping is most pronounced in the 9- to 12-o'clock position of the rotor disk. According to the helicopter manufacturer representative, the main rotor height can vary depending on how the helicopter landing gear was serviced. In addition, depending on the position of the cyclic, the main rotor can descend lower than 6 feet when the main rotor is operating. It is likely that the pilot/owner unintentionally moved the cyclic, which resulted in the rotor blade descending, and, in combination with the rotor droop, the main rotor blade would have been low enough to strike the relieved pilot's head.
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
- AC/prop/rotor contact w person during standing (engine(s) operating) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Main rotor system › Main rotor blade system › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Flight crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 158 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 13,500 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 30, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,198 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD (piston); 635 hours total
- Operator: Heritage Rotors LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Bloomsburg PA at 11:38 pm
- Destination: Bloomsburg PA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from IPT, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on May 21, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Police Report | PDF, 13 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Operator Letter to NTSB | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum of Record - Helicopter Manufacturer Representative | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Ipt Weather Observations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | 3-VIEW Drawing of the Helicopter | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 1 - Helicopter at Rest (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N631DP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Enstrom F-28 147 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Enstrom 215 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-E1AD 10 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,834 since 1982 · 233 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,183 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA13LA433.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.